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PRACTICAL 
SAILING AND 
MOTOR-BOATIN G 





















































































































































Urchin is a small auxiliary, in which the sails are a secondary consideration 

• She is easily handled by one man 





Practical Sailing 
and Motor-Boating 


BY 


EDWIN W. KENDRICK 

n 



NEW YORK 

McBRIDE, NAST & COMPANY 


Copyright, 1913, by 
McBride, Nast & Co. 




Published May, 1913 


/ JZ. *~0 

\ 

©Cl. A 3 4 6 9 9 2 




PRO SCRIPTUM 

Aboard Auxiliary Yawl Penguin 


I T was some years ago when the writer, having 
served as apprentice and officer in the clipper 
ships that ply their way between Great Britain 
and her Colonies, and round the world and back 
again, became possessed of an idea. At that time he 
was going to sea to gain a living, and sending the 
written, sketched and photographed results of his 
experiences to the local press at home, for his own 
amusement and their infrequent publication. It was 
all on account of this, and through the fault of a 
few glib-tongued editors scattered over the world, 
that he, the writer, became infused with an exagger¬ 
ated conception of his literary worth. So, in due 
time, came the idea—the idea to go to sea for a 
pastime and do the other for a living. 

And now the essence of the experience accumu- 
5 


6 


Pro Scriptum 


lated from two hundred thousand miles of water, 
sailed in craft of all descriptions, in every corner 
of the globe, is analyzed, boiled down and added to 
eight years of active life among the smaller types 
of racing and cruising craft along our coast. And 
it goes forth from the cabin of the Penguin, the 
chunky little auxiliary yawl whereon we spend our 
summers and go to business daily like you and many 
other mortals. 


CHAPTER 

I 


II 


III 


IV 


V 


CONTENTS 


The Selection of a Boat .... 

Knowing what you want—Judgment in buy¬ 
ing—Speeds and types—A word as to stock 
models of boats and motors. 

Styles of Boats. 

Favorite types, accompanied by profile and 
inboard plans of same—Information as to the 
demands they are specially built to fill, engine 
power necessary for most satisfactory results, 
and, where possible, approximate figures of 
cost. 

The Second-Hand Boat . 

When to buy—Bargains in ratio to size— 
Where to look for trouble—Defects that can 
and cannot be overcome. 


Stability. 

Stability as an essential factor to boating 
comfort and safety—Stability in stock models 
and boats of special design—Necessity of 
stability. 

The Motor for the Boat .... 

Principles of construction—Types of motors 
—The carburetor—Ignition—Horse-power in 
marine engines—The right motor for the boat 
—Propellers. 


PAGE 

I 


18 


39 


48 


57 




Contents 


CHAPTER 

VI 


VII 

VIII 

IX 

X 


Navigation and Seamanship . 

The mariner’s compass—Variation— Devia¬ 
tion—How to correct the compass—How to 
plot a deviation card—To tell direction with¬ 
out a compass—Kinds of bearings, their use, 
and how to take them—Speed by bearings— 
How to measure distance by bearings—Buoys, 
beacons and channel marks—How to enter 
an unbuoyed harbor—Tides—To tell the direc¬ 
tion of a current—Leeway—Dead reckoning— 
The lead—Night running—Navigating through 
a fog—How to tell “foul” water—Leaving the 
mooring or landing—Engine-room signals— 
Coming up to a dock—Handling in a seaway— 
How to rig and ride from a sea anchor or 
drag—Use of oil—Anchoring—Breaking out 
anchors—To land on a lee shore—Man over¬ 
board—Kedging. 

Installing an Engine. 

Where to place the engine—The motor bed— 
Gas tanks—To take up vibration—Pump con¬ 
nections. 

Ignition. 

Jump spark or high tension ignition—Make- 
and-break or low tension ignition—Combined 
spark plug and coil. 

Which Has to Do With the Engineer 

How to start and run the engine—Its trou¬ 
bles—How to cure them. 

Rules of the Road at Sea .... 

Rules to prevent collision—Laws regarding 
equipment—Special laws of local waters in the 
United States and Canada—Navigable canals. 


< 


PAGE 

71 


122 

133 

150 

176 



Contents 


CHAPTER 

XI 


XII 


XIII 


XIV 


PAGE 

Nautical Astronomy.195 

Clouds, the various formations, how to tell 
them and what they signify—The barometer 
and how to read it—Motion of clouds— 
Weather to be expected under given conditions 
in various waters—General weather signs. 

Sailorizing.210 

Knots and bends, how to make them and 
what they are for—Reef knot—Ordinary bend 
—Timber hitch—Clove hitch—Two half hitches 
—Round turn and two half hitches—Rolling 
hitch—Blackwall hitch—Bowline—Running 
bowline—Fisherman’s bend or towline bend 
—To make a whipping—Splicing, how to 
make, and what each style is for—Eye splice 
—Short splice—Long splice—Purchases and 
tackles, how to reeve and what they are for 
—Gun tackle purchase—Luff tackle—Double 
purchase—Luff upon luff—Spanish Burton— 

Fall tackle—How to rig a derrick to lift an 
engine or mast. 

Sailing.226 

Principles of sailing—Balancing of sails— 

How to measure sail area—To find the center 
of effort—Setting sail—Squalls—Tacking— 
Waring—Jibing—Club-hauling—Sailing up to 
a mooring—Getting the most out of wind and 
tide. 

The Cabin.247 

Accommodation plans that combine devices 
which have saved space, promoted pleasure, 
or curtailed expense—Gear that pays aboard 
a boat, phonograph, binoculars, aneroid, ther¬ 
mometer, fishing tackle, clam rake, gun, cam¬ 
era, tools—How to install a salt-water supply. 





Contents 


CHAPTER 

XV 

XVI 

XVII 

XVIII 

XIX 


PAGE 

Cooking Aboard Small Craft . . . 265 

The galley stove—Plain and practical cook¬ 
ing receipts—Galley equipment. 

Gravesend Bay to Shelter Island— 

A Cruise.279 

A short summer cruise, in which some of 
the things referred to in preceding chap¬ 
ters are brought into practice—A few remarks 
concerning yacht’s private chinaware, which 
prove that it is not difficult to obtain. 

Going Into Commission.292 

When to start—Order of work—Overhaul¬ 
ing the motor—Fuel supply—Spars—The 
cabin—The bilge—Burning off—Varnishing— 
Painting—Caulking—Fixing the decks—Pre¬ 
paring the boat’s bottom—How to cut in a 
water line—Packing the stuffing box—Salt¬ 
water piping—Launching; how to build a 
cradle and lay the track. 

Moorings.309 

How to rig a mooring—Mushroom an¬ 
chors—The chain—The spring, its use and 
how to make one—Mooring-buoys, how to 
make a particularly practical one—Putting out 
a mooring—Four ways of raising the mooring 
—Marking over winter to find the mooring in 
the spring. 

Dingheys.322 

Round and flat bottom tenders—The dory- 
built dinghey as a speed item, its towing 
qualities and trim—Carrying the dinghey 
aboard—Towing on a stern wave or from 
the weather quarter—The ideal dinghey— 
Prices. 





Contents 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XX Hauling Out and Laying Up . . . 329 

When to haul out—Building the cradle— 
Hauling out—Shoring up—Shoring on sand, 
below high-water mark—Covers—Points on 
laying up. 

XXI Yacht Clubs. 344 

What there is to be gained by joining a 
yacht club—The steward’s duties—How to 
choose a club and how to join. 

Glossary of Nautical Terms.351 

Index .359 
















































































































THE ILLUSTRATIONS 


Urchin, a small auxiliary .... Frontispiece 

FACING 

PAGE 

A fine type of raised deck cruiser.4 

Winter along the water-front.44 

Summer at Shelter Island. 44 

The rip that races past the Orient Light ... 74 

Navigating in the cockpit.74 

Thunder heads of cumulus.196 

The sky at the start of a heavy westerly gale . .196 

Cumulus clouds at sunset.200 

Cumulo-stratus clouds.200 

A fine-weather sunrise.206 

Cirro-cumulus clouds.206 

Knots—reef knot—ordinary bend—timber hitch— 
clove hitch—two half hitches—round turn and 

two half hitches.212 

Knots—rolling hitch—Blackwall hitch—a bowline 
—running bowline—fisherman’s knot or towline 

bend.218 

Becalmed .230 

The cruising yawl Penguin .242 

/ 














Illustrations 


FACING 

PAGE 

Breakfast on deck.266 

Galley corner.266 

Loading stores for the trip.286 

A substantial rope spring.302 

Launching .302 

Flat-bottomed dinghey.326 

Towing on the stern wave.326 

Going into commission.340 

Shored up on a sandy beach.340 











PRACTICAL 
SAILING AND 
MOTOR-BOATING 






Practical Sailing and 
Motor-Boating 


Chapter I 

THE SELECTION OF A BOAT 

A S a yachtsman, you will make your most criti¬ 
cal move and that which calls for the most 
judgment the day you take possession of 
your boat, and, incidentally, all the responsibilities 
and pleasures that go with her. 

Whatever you may do in the way of painting, 
varnishing and furnishing afterward will not change 
a boat from the type for which she was built. 
If she has the light, frivolous, graceful lines of the 
speedy runabout, you must not expect that any 
amount of skilful handling will make her quite such 
a good boat in a seaway as the sea-going dory, nor 
must you expect that by doubling the power in a 
husky, full-bodied cruiser you will, by any means, 
double the speed. 



2 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

A man needs a rather definite idea of what he 
intends to buy, and the ability to stick to that idea 
when he goes out into the wide and varied market 
of boats for sale and others that are very badly in 
need of being sold. And it is no more a criterion 
that because a boat is a good one she will render you 
satisfaction than it is that because another man has 
not been able to make good with a boat you cannot. 
Know what you want and you have accomplished 
a great deal. 

One way of obtaining this knowledge is to buy 
the wrong boat; the other way is to read this book, 
apply your reading to what you will find around 
your own waterfront, and then go forth confidently 
but cautiously and buy. 

Invest first—if you can control the consuming 
fires of your enthusiasm and hold the warring spirits 
of the Vikings in check for a season—in a power 
dory for outside sailing or a four- or six-seated 
runabout for bay work or sheltered, fine-weather 
waters. The investment will not be very large, and 
the mistakes, should you happen to make such 
things, cost less to right than if you purchased a 
more pretentious craft. 

With such a boat you will gain a wonderful 
knowledge of the conditions and the waters in which 
you intend to cruise. You will learn something of 
tides, bars, channels, weather and waves, distances 


The Selection of a Boat 


3 


and equipment. And when you are through, you 
can give your little pal a coat of paint, a splash of 
varnish and a little polished brasswork, and then, 
some fine spring day of the following year, sell her 
for a figure very close to the initial cost. By so 
doing, you will land on your feet in the boating 
game with knowledge gained pleasurably and with 
that which is always worth considering—economy. 

If, on the other hand, you have neither the time 
nor the inclination to donate one precious season of 
your boating life to the shrine of the small craft, 
hearken well to me, O brothers of the waterlust! 
for I have in my time been most seriously and indeed 
most grievously deceived. Remember that paint 
is paint and boat is boat. It is the boat that either 
will or will not fill the bill. 

Sit down, light your pipe and think it over. Do 
you really want an open boat for afternoon trips or 
a day boat with just sufficient cabin space for pro¬ 
tection from the weather if it gets nasty; a cruiser 
to take you away over week-ends, with possibly one 
long cruise during the season; or a boat that you 
can live aboard the whole summer, fitted with the 
conveniences of a bungalow? Do you want your 
open boat for use where the water gets quite choppy 
at times, or do you expect to do your boating on the 
bright waters of some protected river or bay? 
Again, do you want a light-draft boat for poking 


4 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

about shallow bays, where you can see the pearly 
pebbles, the green and crimson weeds and the scam¬ 
pering crabs on the sandy bottom beneath you; or 
do you want a craft of deeper draft, a husky cruiser, 
a real deep-sea goer, with full but easy lines and a 
staunch hull, capable of riding out like a cork the 
long blue ocean swells? 

Take another puff at that old pipe, and perhaps, 
after all, you may decide you are more of a follower 
of Izaak Walton than of the briny deep, and that a 
flat-bottomed boat would be more in your line. She 
would certainly be better for running up onto clam 
beds and steadier to fish from. Further on I have 
given a plan of such a boat: it is the other extreme 
from the gay runabout with wicker chairs. 

Remember, too, that the conditions of your home 
port are not always the conditions with which you 
will have to contend when in waters where you will 
probably spend the most of your time. Do not buy 
a boat with a high glass cabin if you are going to 
use her where a big lump of a sea picks up. Do not 
get a deep-draft boat if you intend going South 
through the canals. Do not have anything to do 
with sails if you are to navigate rivers where the 
banks are high and the gorges make uncertain 
winds. And do not—oh, do not—think that because 
someone once happened to come through a big blow 
in a toy boat, you can do it at any time; nor because 




r 





A fine type of raised deck cruiser 











The Selection of a Boat 


5 


somebody once went a certain distance in a certain 
time, under certain conditions, that you can bank 
on those same conditions. It is the ability to be able 
to say where you are going on a certain date and at 
what time you will be back that has raised the 
motor-boat to its present position in the yachtsman’s 
estimation. 

Of course you must not, merely because a boat 
makes eight miles an hour, prick off a place sixteen 
miles from your home mooring and rely upon get¬ 
ting there in two hours; tide, wind, wave and the 
condition of the boat’s under-body will all make 
their little differences felt. Indeed, tide and sea, at 
times, make considerable difference, though for con¬ 
venience we will at present work on averages and 
put our trust in starting an hour earlier or getting 
home an hour late. 

To bring attention to a point worth considering 
in the speed problem, you might take a chart and 
prick off the position of your home mooring. Now, 
with a radius of seventeen miles, or whatever you 
have found to be the length of the usual trip, draw a 
circle. This will naturally include those places 
which you have been in the habit of reaching. If 
your boat could make two miles an hour faster, it 
might bring your cruising radius up to twenty-one 
miles. Draw a circle, therefore, on the twenty- 
one mile radius, and see how many more coves, 


6 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

fishing grounds and pleasure places are brought 
within your reach. In some localities this will 
double a boat's possibilities, and the extra engine 
power which enables you to do it becomes a good 
investment. On the other hand, there may be so 
many attractions near home that the additional speed 
would scarcely be worth while. 

In all sizes and types of craft it must be remem¬ 
bered that speed and size cost money. And the 
medium-sized, low-powered craft is by far the best 
investment for the man of limited means. Speed, 
particularly, is an unknown factor. Many a boat 
with a seven-horsepower engine, making about as 
many miles an hour, would go almost as fast with 
a five. Yet that same boat would stretch it to about 
seven and a half miles an hour only with an eight- 
horsepower, double cylinder engine. Again, if you 
were to increase the engine to twelve-horsepower, 
it might bring the speed up to nine or ten miles, and 
with a fifteen-horsepower, three-cylinder the in¬ 
crease would be even less again—possibly to eleven 
miles. 

Beyond this the power would have to be increased 
out of all proportion to the extra speed gained, for 
the lines of a boat control her speed just as much 
as her power does. Different models run easier at 
different speeds, and in over-powering a boat not 
only does a man have to stand for the extra cost in 


The Selection of a Boat 


7 


fuel and engine upkeep, but the excessive strain on 
the boat, which tells heavily in a few seasons. This 
is the problem that you will have to work out when 
you are deciding the extra few miles an hour and 
your cruising radius. 

Bear in mind that if your boat is very beamy and 
full-bodied under the water-line, and already making 
eight miles an hour, it would take a great deal more 
power to get two more actual miles an hour out of 
her. Therefore it would be better in the long run 
to change to a boat designed and powered to make 
the required speed. But should she have long, clean 
lines it will not take much more power to make an 
appreciable difference. 

It is the high speeds that cost. Generally the 
cruisers are so designed that they run very economic¬ 
ally up to the eight- or nine-mile mark, but above 
this speed require considerable power. The run¬ 
abouts are a much more flexible proposition, and 
under fair weather conditions will do very nicely 
anything that the engine dictates up to about fifteen 
miles an hour. In fact, some of them will do two 
or three more, provided you treat the engine well, 
keep the bottom in fine condition, arrange your pas¬ 
sengers with a little judgment, and, incidentally, 
manage to have not more of them than will give the 
boat her best trim. 

As the stern of a boat has much to do with her 


8 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


speed and general behavior, a few words about it 
may be in order. 

Vast strides have been made since the days of the 



Fig. i Fig. 2 Fig. 3 

“V’d” stern, plumb “V’d” stern raking Round stern, plumb 
forward 


old “fantail” stern, that worthy part of a boat’s con¬ 
struction that hung over aft. At anchor, if the 



Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 


Square stern, plumb Square stern raking Compromise stern 
aft 

weather were at all rough, it would smash and 
splash by turns, and when under way had a habit 
of causing the boat’s stern to sag down or “squat,” 






































The Selection of a Boat 


9 


thus creating the suction that killed the speed. The 
“v’d” stern, the round stem and the square stern 
have come to take its place on fast boats, the com¬ 
promise stern and the square, raking stern on boats 
that are liable to go where they will have to run 
before a following sea and want something that will 
lift to the combers easily. 

Numbers i and 2 are two variations of the “v’d” 
type. No. 2 gives the longest water-line on a given 
over-all length and most protection to the rudder. 
It is not a particularly good design for backing, par¬ 
ticularly in a choppy sea, and it does not act well 
in an overtaking sea. Nos. 3 and 4, rounded and 
square transoms respectively, are equally good. No. 
4 is the more expensive to build. No. 5 is a square 
stern, similar to No. 4, although it has something 
of a rake and less water-line. 

No. 6, the compromise stern, is particularly sea¬ 
worthy and very dry when running away from the 
storm. It sacrifices deck room and is seldom seen 
on craft where a maximum of accommodation is 
desired. 

In most types of boats the cabin does more than 
any other one thing—excluding the engine—to in¬ 
crease her possibilities and usefulness. It is always, 
even in its simplest form, a place where the owner 
may store sufficient bedding to stay over night. 
This would come in right handy should it be too 


io Practical SailinCx and Motor-Boating 

hot in the city and the owner feels that he’d like to 
sleep in God’s great out-of-doors, or in case he has 
to run down some evening during the week to 
straighten things. And to be able to seek shelter 
aboard, instead of hurrying for the shore, is always 
a great convenience. 

On the whole, we may take it that almost every 
man with a little experience in boating feels the 
desirability of a cabin, and on this account you will 
find the most incongruous rigs afloat. So many 
fellows with open launches, open catboats and old 
ship’s boats have built cabins on them, and their 
owners, knowing very much of the desirability of 
head room and very little of naval architecture, have 
made some astounding attempts to erect a floating 
hotel on a twenty-foot foundation. 

Of course there are awnings, wind shields and 
spray hoods that can often be rigged up in a way 
that will practically turn the boat into a tent; but 
even tents have their disadvantages when they have 
to be set up in a hurry, particularly on the water. 
A cabin may be only a cabin from outside appear¬ 
ance, but there is a vast difference in interior ar¬ 
rangement and equipment. 

In practice, it will pay you to take the step directly 
from the small afternoon type of open boat to the 
twenty-six-foot cruiser that is large enough to carry 
a cabin that not only looks well but is of invaluable 


The Selection of a Boat i i 

use. A later chapter has been devoted to cabins and 
their characters. Take all these things into account 
when you have this conference with yourself, and 
you will soon determine definitely just what your 
requirements are before allowing your fancy to 
attach itself to some model of boat merely because 
it looks to be a good opportunity. 

The three classes of boats that offer the most 
genuine value for investment are as follows: The 
boat specially designed by a naval architect, the 
stock model and the second-hand boat. 

In the first instance the owner’s pet ideas and 
particular requirements are scientifically incorpo¬ 
rated in the hull, in order to produce the greatest 
strength, and the whole moulded with a knowledge 
of hydraulic curves and stability such as only a naval 
architect is able to apply to his client’s requirements. 

But a boat built to order is a rather expensive item. 
But when one set of plans is equally good for fifty 
boats, or as many more or less as you please—and 
the cost of building fifty boats at one time by organ¬ 
ized labor considerably reduces the cost of one— 
there is no reason why this plan should not be re¬ 
sorted to. This has often been done, and the boats 
so built are termed stock models. 

To-day there is scarcely a combination of condi¬ 
tion and accommodation that a stock model has not 
been built to fill. Designs have been drawn by the 


12 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

most brilliant naval architects in the country, men 
who have made a life study of boats and boating 
and kept careful tab on various sized hulls under 
different demands. 

Again, the splendid response to the cry that went 
up from all over the country for reliable marine 
motors very probably did much toward producing 
the stock model of motor, for engines also are now 
most economically built—many of a kind at one 
time. 

This is why the purchaser of to-day should, and 
invariably does, get more speed, more comfort and 
a more finished looking boat for much less money 
than was possible a few years ago. I have said 
“should” for the reason that the boat in the stock 
room is not the boat in the water, and when building 
in quantities the easiest qualities to give a boat are 
those that first appeal to a purchaser—namely, a 
graceful shape and a cabinet finish. The failings of 
the stock model are more liable to be found in poorly 
caulked planking, or in the ribs and construction 
being so light that any excessive jar on the hull may 
cause her to open up and leak. 

It might be argued that 24 -inch ribs spaced on 
six-inch centers would be just as strong as I *4-inch 
ribs farther apart, and they may be for a while, but 
there is very little solid wood left in a light rib after 
a nail or rivet has been driven through it. Again, 


The Selection of a Boat 13 

there will be a great deal less in a few years if you 
deduct an eighth from each side for rot. That 
eighth of rot would be exactly the same on the 
heavier ribs, but this latter case would still leave a 
great deal of solid material. 

Look your stock model over, therefore, and see 
that the planking has not dried and the caulking 
fallen out. If copper fastenings are specified, see 
that you get them; they are considered better than 
iron, though galvanized iron fastenings are all right 
if the holes are properly plugged. Make sure that 
they are not merely smeared over with putty and 
paint, or the galvanizing will eventually wear out, 
the rivets rust and your boat be covered with rust 
streaks. 

It would be very hard to state definitely just how 
heavy the ribs should be, as the demands in construc¬ 
tion and service make considerable difference. You 
had best look at a boat of the type which you intend 
to buy; a boat that you know has made good. You 
cannot go far wrong on any of the well-known, 
reputable firms, for they could not very well afford 
to market a line of boats that would eventually wreck 
their reputation. 

The third case calls for careful study, as choosing 
a second-hand boat requires a good working knowl¬ 
edge of the game. There is always an underlying 
reason for a man wanting to sell his boat, but that 


Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 




































































The Selection of a Boat 15 

reason will not necessarily benefit you. Therefore, 
further on, we have devoted an entire chapter to this 
one subject. 

If you make your choice from among the motor- 
boats you will find all three of the classes referred 
to above, but if among the auxiliaries or sailboats 
the stock model will be lacking, as the demand for 
any one particular model has never warranted its 
being built except in racing types of “class” boats, 
with which this book has nothing to do. They 
change as do the fashions and are as fickle as the 
laws that govern them. 

The modern auxiliary, built to carry an engine, 
is a vastly different proposition from a converted 
sailboat. She is possibly the ideal water craft when 
yawl rigged. A yawl will not work to windward as 
well, nor make quite the speed of the sloop, but 
amply makes up for this in ease of handling. Invari¬ 
ably, in models up to thirty feet, she is built as a 
one-man boat, a description that applies to craft that 
may be sailed single-handed. All her sheets lead to 
the cockpit, and her sails, split up as they are into 
small stretches, are not as unwieldy as in a sloop. 
Again, the jib forward just balances the jigger aft, 
so she will sail equally well under jib and jigger or 
mainsail only. 

Beautiful models, embodying the particular re¬ 
quirements and pet ideas of their owners, are being 


16 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 



Ftg. 8 

Names of parts in a boat’s construction 



















































































































The Selection of a Boat 17 

turned out from the boards of the country’s cele¬ 
brated naval architects from month to month. You 
may see them in the boating magazines, a study of 
which publications will also show the remarkable 
growth of the auxiliary yawl in the yachtsman’s 
favor and the marked decline of the out-and-out sail¬ 
boat. The wonderful progress of the motor-boat is 
already too well known to require comment, and the 
way the sport as a whole suits itself to every man’s 
pocket is remarkable. For the pleasures of boating 
lie not in gaudy luxury nor wealth and opulence, but 
rather in finding a boat in size and draft, speed and 
equipment that will meet your own requirements. 

You may have all the fun you want boating at 
from twenty-five to twenty-five hundred dollars a 
year, more dollars if you like; but I venture to say 
that with the smallest rig you will get just as much 
fun as with the most expensive. Often do I look 
back with delight to our early days with a sailing 
canoe, a pair of fine greenheart weakfish rods, a few 
bloodworms kicking in a can and half a dozen sand¬ 
wiches done up in a very necessary waterproof cloth. 
That meant joy, pure joy to us boys, and I do not 
know that even now, with a fair-sized auxiliary and 
all the etiquette of a fleet, that we enjoy it more, 
though there is no hobby in all the world that we’d 
take in exchange. 


Chapter II 


STYLES OF BOATS 

I N this chapter there are not shown all the types 
of pleasure craft nor all the styles of any one 
type, but one model of each, and where the 
range is very extensive, perhaps two. 

Representative favorite types have been selected, 
accompanied by profile and inboard plans, except of 
the larger boats, in which case the interior ar¬ 
rangement has been left for attention in the Cabin 
chapter. 

You will note that the engine power necessary to 
gain the most satisfactory results varies greatly in 
different craft. Where the cost has been of a very 
fluctuating nature, which is particularly the case 
in boats built to special design, it has been omitted. 

FISHING BOAT 

For the man who wishes a combination of boat¬ 
ing and fishing, I do not know of a more seaworthy 
or thoughtfully worked out boat than this simple 
fishing craft. 

18 


Styles of Boats 


19 

Here is a real sportsman’s boat. By facing aft on 
the wide seat amidships, you may play your lines 
freely, whether at anchor or under power, and 
should you wish to troll, the speed may be slowed 
down with the reversible propeller to two miles an 
hour. 

There is ample room aft to land the catch or even 
to place camp stools, while up forward is a good- 



sized well for fish or bait, or, if you like, you may 
cork the holes and drop in a chunk of ice and a few 
bottles of refreshment. 

The flat bottom will hold this boat steady, and 
consequently comfortable to fish from. It is also 
very handy when running onto sandy bars to dig 
for bait or clams and for navigating in shallow water 
to the best fishing holes. With such a boat you can 
drop exactly into any position on a fishing spot that 
you may want, and just as easily move again if that 
spot does not make good. 



















20 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

A fishing boat of this type may be had for 
about two hundred and fifty dollars. 

POWER DORY 

The sea-going dory finds its home dipping among 
the long blue ocean swells. Afloat in one of these 
craft you will not only feel safe, but are safe. From 
the coast of Maine to the Banks, she is the choice of 



A small 18-20-ft. power dory like this makes a good boat for 
bay work 

hardy fishermen, men who put the gamble of their 
existence in the trustworthy craft that lie between 
themselves and the sea. 

Not only does the dory create this impression of 
sea-going ability, but it does so with a good turn of 
speed. In a clean lined dory, even though you may 
have only a few hours’ leisure at your disposal, it is 















Styles of Boats 


21 


amazing what a change of surroundings you may 
see. 

A small eighteen-foot craft, ideal for bay work 
and fitted with a four-horse engine, will make about 
eight miles an hour. Such a boat may be had for 
about three hundred dollars. 




Fig. ii 

This 23-ft. dory with a 6 h. p. engine will make about eight 
miles an hour. The two steering wheels allow of one 
man control and there is ample seating capacity 

A dory somewhat larger than this and capable of 
taking out several friends—say a twenty-three- 
footer—would reach the $500 mark. 

RUNABOUT 

The runabout is probably the most graceful and 
swiftest craft—barring the out-and-out racers—that 
ever whipped along the water. Her clean lines, her 















22 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


finish in mahogany and polished brasswork and her 
spacious cockpit, with its wicker chairs and cushions, 
bespeak a wealth of luxury and comfort which would 



Fig. 12 

This 20-ft. hull with a beam of 4 ft. 3 in. clips along at a 
lively speed with a 4 h. p. engine 


have been considered impossible a few years ago. 
She is essentially a fine weather craft, suitable for 



Fig. 13 

A 25-ft. model fitted with a 12 h. p M three cylinder engine, or 
11 h. p., two cylinder, makes fifteen miles an hour; the 
engine is installed under the hood forward. The craft 
is equipped with an automobile steering wheel, both spark 
and throttle controls are on the forward bulkhead 

























































Styles of Boats 


23 


lakes, bays, rivers and sheltered waters, and will 
develop more speed with less power than any other 
type of boat in general use. 

This type of craft usually has either square or 
round transom or “v’d” stern and rather flat under¬ 
body, which will allow the engine to develop all its 
power in propelling the boat. 

A small craft of this type, similar to that shown 
above, may be had for as little as $275. The models 
de luxe of this kind, truly the automobiles of the 
water, are the last word in luxurious appointment 
and high power. They run to $2,000 and beyond. 

AFTERNOON BOAT 


Some of us do our boating in three- or four-hour 
runs, in the sunny afternoon or moonlight evening, 



This 25-ft. semi-speed, clipper launch, fitted with a 10 or 
12 h. p. engine, forms a splendid type of afternoon boat 






















24 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

but in making these runs we want a boat that is 
capable of meeting creditably any other conditions 
of wind and wave that may happen along. At the 
same time, on these trips a great deal of comfort and 
as attractive a boat as possible are attributes not to 
be overlooked. 

To meet these requirements, the type of craft 
shown above has been created. Note her graceful 
lines, the awning to protect your friends from too 



Fig. is 


A compromise stern open launch, 32 by 6 feet, with 12 h. p. 
engine. She would make about 10 miles per hour. The 
placing of the motor under forward deck, with entrance 
by a. hatch, is a good idea. This is a seaworthy type for 
service requiring a moderate speed and good carrying 
capacity 

much sun or the slightest shower, the wicker chairs 
and cushioned seats, the steering-wheel and the little 
stretch of brightwood decking forward. No item 
of comfort has been forgotten. And not only is this 

































Styles of Boats 


25 

craft good to look upon, but her stern and well 
molded underbody make her a splendid moderate 
speed sea boat. 

DAY BOAT 


Here is a boat for which there is a large and 
increasing demand, for she very ably fills the wants 



Fig. 16 


A type of the day cruiser, with good power and speed, giving 
shelter for guests in event of wet weather and providing 
sleeping accommodations on a pinch. The engine is in¬ 
stalled forward of cockpit and under a lifting hood 

of the man who generally does his boating one day 
a week—the man who on that one day wants to 
make sure not only of reaching his destination, but 
of reaching it in good season. 

She is a fairly fast type of boat, with a great deal 
of deck space for a good-sized party and capable of 
weathering fairly rough conditions without trouble. 










































26 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

The cabin is a lesser consideration. It is large 
enough to hold a stove and all hands, provided they 
are willing to squeeze a bit. Oftentimes there is 
room enough to hide away sufficient bedding for two 



Fig. i 7 

While not as popular as formerly, the trunk cabin possesses 
many advantages, among which are good standing room 
forward for handling ground tackle, view ahead from 
cabin and current of air from forward when running or 
lying at anchor. It is a rather more expensive form of 
construction than that of the raised deck type 

or three to sleep aboard, and of course every good 
day boat has ample accommodation for your own 
grip, your friend’s grip and your friend’s friend’s 

grip- 

GLASS CABIN CRUISER 

The glass cabin cruiser is a very good boat for 
those who are on the lookout for real outdoor life. 
The large glass windows allow of her occupants 































Styles of Boats 


27 


enjoying the full benefit of the view, whether they 
are in the cabin or on deck. At the same time the 
windows may be let down for more air and the cabin 
is always cool and light. 

She is probably the finest type of boat in commis¬ 
sion for lakes and rivers or for Southern cruising. 



Fig. 18 


A compromise stern, glass cabin cruiser 46 by g l / 2 feet; a 
boat of this type is light and cool and particularly adapted 
to Southern and inland waters 

A trunk cabin cruiser, such as the one shown here, 
combines a maximum of ventilation and light with¬ 
out the top weight of a glass cabin. The fine, rakish 
appearance of the craft is retained, yet there is good 
headroom in the cabin and a large deck forward 
from which to handle the buoy or anchor. 

RAISED DECK CRUISER 

The raised deck type of cruiser is no doubt the 

























28 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

most popular form of boat for all-round cruising. 
She is a fine, husky sea boat, the raised deck forward 
keeping her dry and at the same time providing the 
maximum of cabin space. 



Fig. 19 


A 25 x 6^2-ft. raised cruiser, with all conveniences. With 
about 8 h. p. she should make something between 7 and 
8 miles per hour. The broad, rounded stern allows of 
the maximum amount of room for a boat of this size 


Another point that makes for her popularity is the 
fact that her form of construction is very economical. 
A twenty-five-foot cruiser may be had for as little 
as $700. Of course changes in construction, ma¬ 
terial and equipment are so easily added that the 















































Styles of Boats 


29 

thirty-footers can range up to the $1,900 mark 
without difficulty. 



This 27-ft. raised deck cruiser provides comfortable cruising 
accommodation for two or three persons, and with her 
10 h. p. engine easily makes about 8 miles an hour 


EXTENSION TRUNK CRUISER 

The extension trunk cabin cruiser is a clever com¬ 
bination of raised deck and trunk cabin cruiser. The 
raised deck forward keeps her dry when driving 
through a sea, while the rectangular windows along 
the trunk cabin make it light, cool and airy down 
below. 

Naturally this boat will cost more than a raised 
deck type of the same size, but there are several very 
fine thirty-foot stock models now being offered for 
$2,200. 


















30 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

The great amount of space provided and its very 
useful arrangement in these cruising craft are re¬ 
markable. Very different it is from the one large 
room of the old-timers, for nowadays there is noth- 



Fig. 21 

The extension trunk type combines the seaworthiness of the 
raised deck with the light and ventilation found in boats 
of the glass cabin style 

ing unusual in the luxury of an engine-room, galley, 
an attractive main cabin, good locker space for grips 
and a toilet. All this you will find in boats of thirty 
feet and even less. 

BRIDGE DECK CRUISER 

The bridge deck cruiser, which is very nearly the 
last word in comfort and seaworthiness, stands close 
to the limit in size and luxury that this boat can 
reach. The type is suitable to boats of forty feet or 
more in length and becomes very desirable for those 
who intend living aboard, as the owner’s quarters 
under the trunk cabin are well lighted and ventilated. 

Lying at her mooring, this craft is an ideal boat 
for comfort, and when under way the bridge deck, 










Styles of Boats 


3 i 


with an awning spread over it, forms an attractive 
feature. This bridge deck occupies a commanding 
position, considerably helping the man in charge 
when navigating crowded channels or running up to 
a mooring. 



Fig. 22 

The bridge deck cruiser is close to the last word in comfort, 
convenience and seaworthiness. Dry forward, well lighted 
and ventilated aft, she is an admirable type for constant 
living aboard, while the position of the steersman is such 
that he has the advantage of a good view forward and 
perfect control over engine and gear, which are directly 
beneath him 


The crew and engine are located forward under 
the raised deck, which takes the brunt of the weather 
when, running into a sea. Leading aft from the 
bridge deck on either side of the trunk cabin is room 
enough to walk, while abaft the cabin there is also 
space for a few deck chairs and folk who prefer the 
lee of the house. 


AUXILIARY SLOOP 

These plans show a very comfortable little cruis¬ 
ing sloop. Her home mooring is about thirty-five 
miles from the mouth of the Connecticut River. 














32 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

where it is rather the exception than the rule to be 
able to use sails to advantage. For this reason she 



is equipped with more power than the average auxil¬ 
iary of her size would require. 

To be specific, she has an eleven-horsepower en¬ 
gine, which really develops all the speed of the aver¬ 
age motor-boat, yet on account of the lines, which 
are fairly fine, and the fact that she is fitted with a 
feathering propeller, she slips along very well under 
sail alone whenever there is wind worth using. One 
man can handle her very easily. 















Styles of Boats 


33 

This boat was built in New England on the lines 
of the fishing dories, save that the model has been 
modified somewhat to meet the owner’* require¬ 
ments. Her cabin accommodation is both spacious 
and interesting. You will find it in that section of 
the book which deals with the cabin. 

The principal dimensions are: L. O. A. 25' 6". 
L. W. L. 21'. Beam 8'. Draft 2' 9". 

This type of boat will be found very dry and com¬ 
fortable in a seaway. She makes a splendid single¬ 
hander and is fitted to accommodate three for 
cruising. 

AUXILIARY YAWLS 

The three types of yawls herein presented repre¬ 
sent the shoal draft for shallow bays, the yachty- 
looking craft and a specially designed model. All 
three of them are as vastly different as any three 
types of motor-boats. Their rig alone brings them 
under the one heading, for of late the yawl rig has 
grown greatly in the yachtsman’s favor. She is 
easily handled, is a splendid sea boat and there is an 
indescribable shippiness about her that appeals 
greatly to the boating man. 

Many staid wind-jammers turning their thoughts 
to power will be interested in this shoal draft yawl. 
Her general dimensions are: L. O. A. 32'. L. W. L. 




34 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

27'. Beam 10'. Headroom 4' 6", with an extreme 
draft of 34". 

Her raised deck gets away from the regulation 



sailboat and provides a maximum of cabin space. 
Indeed, she is very much a motor-boat, as her sail 
spread is very moderate and her two six-horsepower 
engines make for so much speed that her sails come 






































Styles of Boats 


35 

into requisition only when there is a good sailing 
breeze or lots of time to spare. 

Her lead ballast, stowed under the cockpit floor, 
is all inside, and the centerboard, coming right up 
into the trunk, leaves a hull that will “put” along in 
shallow waters to the tune of about eight and a half 
miles an hour. 

The engines, installed under the hatches in the 
cockpit, have a compartment to themselves, cut off 
absolutely from the main cabin, so that neither gas 
nor fumes can run along the bilge. 

AUXILIARY YAWL 

Here is a yawl of vastly different type, a huskily 
built thirty-footer, with high freeboard and unusual 
sea-going qualities. 

At first sight she might appear to be too short- 
ended—it is true she was never built for beauty— 
but upon more careful inspection you will note that 
her lines below the water-line run very easily and 
that she is all deck on deck and all cabin below; not 
an inch of space has been wasted. From the windlass 
forward, to break out the anchors, the deck runs in 
a good wide sweep past the cabin trunk to the 
spacious self-bailing cockpit aft. The helmsman sits 
so that the screw-box is in front of him. On this 
box is set the compass. 



36 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

This style of yawl is primarily a sailboat, the y]/z- 
horsepower engine, which pushes her along at about 
five miles an hour, being intended only to help out 
in calms or to make a mooring. The automatic 
feathering propeller is housed snugly behind the 



Fig. 25 


deadwoods, and she relies for her speed upon sailing 
power only. Although this boat has all the ear¬ 
marks of a deep-sea goer, as much in her cabin 
arrangement—of which you will find a description 
in the section devoted to that subject—as in her 


















Styles of Boats 


37 

exterior effect, her four feet of draft allow of her 
poking her way into all sorts of coves and creeks 
where good fishing and hunting are to be had. 

The principal dimensions are: L. O. A. 30'. L. 
W. L. 25'. Beam 10'. Draft 4'. Sail area 750 sq. 
ft. Ballast 2,000 lbs. inside and 4,000 lbs. iron shoe 
on the keel. 

AUXILIARY YAWL 

Here is a thirty-two-foot yawl which is not only an 
extremely handy and able little boat, but also very 
roomy for a craft of her size. 

Seaworthiness and comfort were the building re¬ 
quirements of her owner, who uses her along the 
New England coast. For this reason she was given 
good sheer and freeboard, there being 4 ft. at the 
bow, 2 ft. 5 in. amidships and 2 ft. 8 in. at the stern. 

There is a bridge deck along the forward end of 
the cockpit, under which is installed a seven-horse¬ 
power single-cylinder engine, which gives the boat 
a speed of about five miles an hour in calms. 

The sail area is moderate, containing 703 square 
feet, divided as follows : Mainsail 437 ft. Jib 131 ft. 
Mizzen 135 ft. 

The lines are modeled somewhat after the New 
England fishing sloops, the bilges being hard with a 
good deadrise, while the keel extends in one clean 


38 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

sweep from stem to stern with a 3,000-pound iron 
shoe. 

Her principal dimensions are: L. O. A. 31' 9". L* 
W. L. 24'. Beam 10'. Draft 5'. 



Accommodation plans are shown in a later section 
of the book. 





















Chapter III 


THE SECOND-HAND BOAT 

I F you knew something of boats, or had someone 
to go with you who did, midwinter would be 
the ideal time to make a second-hand bargain; 
but buying a boat lying up on the shore in winter 
requires a knowlege of the game second only to that 
of buying when she is painted and varnished in the 
spring. 

In the first instance, a boat is at a great disadvan¬ 
tage, as she has beauty stripped and flaws exposed, 
no matter whether they may be remedied or not. 
On the other hand, as in the second case, any old 
hulk may be cleverly doctored so as to look quite 
presentable, for truly is it said, “Putty and paint 
make the devil a saint.” 

There are many good reasons why a man should 
wish to change his boat, and he is very often so en¬ 
thusiastic about appropriating a new craft that he is 
willing to lose considerably on the old one in the rush 
to get rid of her quickly. Then is the time for the 
buyer to win who can size up correctly a boat’s real 
39 


40 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

worth and put his hand in his pocket to produce in 
cash what he believes the owner will take. 

There is at present such a large demand for motor- 
boats of from twenty to twenty-six feet that the pos¬ 
sibilities of a real bargain in them is very limited. In 
the first place, the stock model has reduced the price 
of new craft considerably, and then there are so 
many people looking for boats of this size, selling 
at just the amount that the average man is willing 
or able to spend, that there is no reason why a boat 
should change hands for anything less than she is 
really worth. 

The opportunities with larger boats are of course 
different. As you get up amongst the thirty, thirty- 
five and forty-footers, the market decreases, and if a 
man has no use for a boat of this size, the expense of 
upkeep, and usually his own more important inter¬ 
ests, make him willing to make a considerable sacri¬ 
fice rather than waste much time selling her. 

This is particularly the case when a great deal of 
very splendid material, workmanship and fittings 
have been put into a boat to fill the owner’s special 
requirements. In such cases the number of possible 
purchasers having the same tastes as his is limited. 
Again, when a boat is laid up a hundred miles from 
anywhere and five miles from a trolley track, it is 
hard to induce even these few prospects to gamble 
a day or two’s time to go and inspect her. 


The Second-Hand Boat 41 

Such was the case when we bought Penguin, a 
type of auxiliary yawl distinctly out of the ordinary 
and built to comply with her original owner’s ideas. 
We discovered her in a little cove at the top of Buz¬ 
zard’s Bay, and bought her cheaply because the 
owner had shifted his residence to a river town for 
which she drew too much water. He had ideas also 
for another craft, Urchin, plans of which are shown 
elsewhere; a boat more suited to his new sur¬ 
roundings. 

Three of us went up from New York by the night 
boat on a Thursday. Friday we sparred, bent sail 
and provisioned her. Saturday morning the remain¬ 
ing two of the crew arrived and by ten we were 
standing out to sea. 

When we rounded her up to her mooring four 
days later in New York Bay, the fellows who looked 
her over remarked that the folk up New England 
way certainly knew how to build boats—and her 
value went up fifty per cent. 

We’ll presume that it is one of those fine and 
crisp winter mornings, on a day when a light mantle 
of snow covers the ground and the sun for a few 
brief hours around noon peeps out from between 
the clouds. Just the sort of day for a trip down 
amongst the boats after a bully tramp through the 
country. I’m going now; won’t you come along? 

If we happen to have a boat or two listed to see, 


42 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

which we have gathered from the papers, the boat¬ 
ing magazines, the yacht agencies or yachtsmen, we 
shall have some definite clew to follow up; if not, 
let us pick out a locality where there are several 
clubs or boatyards. 

We shall find them all in their winter clothes, 
some carefully covered with tarpaulins, while others 
are just as their owners hauled them out, with a 
box stuck under either side and no proper care taken 
of them. Possibly a few fellows will be around. 
One or two who are making big changes in their 
craft, such as building a cabin or changing an en¬ 
gine bed, will be really working; but for the most 
part at this season of the year even those enthu¬ 
siasts that do go down to the waterfront fuss around 
and enjoy the fresh air rather than work. Any one 
of them, however, will tell you whether any of the 
boats at the club are for sale. 

If the beach and yard are deserted, look for the 
club steward; he will know. One piece of infor¬ 
mation will lead to another and you will soon find 
yourself with quite a line of possibilities listed. 
But the first casual look over a boat will no doubt 
tell you whether she is the size and type of craft 
suited to your requirements. If you know she is 
not, get away as soon as you can; for no matter 
how good a boat may be of her kind, if she is the 
wrong kind she will never fill the bill. 


The Second-Hand Boat 43 

We will suppose, however, that here at last is a 
craft which looks rather good. Her freeboard is 
as much as is necessary for the use we intend her, 
her headroom is as high as can be expected of a 
boat of her draft, and her'lines are attractive. 



Fig. 27 

Where to look for trouble in a second-hand hull 


Starting under the stern, see if the head of the 
stern post has been affected by the engine vibration, 
for it is here she is hit hardest; note if the planking 
—where it comes together aft—has opened up, for 
it is at this spot she will first show weakness in 
construction and the inroad of years. 

Now give the propeller a turn to see if the shaft 
is true; any bend in it will easily be noticed at the 
extreme end of the shaft when it rotates. If the 
shaft is not perfectly straight the vibration it makes 
when the engine is running will cause any amount 
of trouble. It may cause the packing in the stuff¬ 
ing box to leak; it may wrench the lag screws that 
bolt the stuffing box to the stern post, or finally it 










44 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

may open the boat under the stern where the post 
sets into the hull. 

The last two of these ills are very serious, as lag 
screws torn from an old stern post do not care to 
take hold again and a boat once strained at the head 
of the stern post takes work and money to over¬ 
come the trouble. Be sure, therefore, should the 
bargain warrant a new shaft and all the other'little 
things you may have to do to make the boat suit 
you, that the skeg under the rudder post is not bolted 
on' by one of those men who put things there to 
stay, and lastly that the lag screws in the engine bed 
may be got at and unscrewed. For one or the other 
must come off or out if the shaft will not slip past 
the rudder. It is things of this sort that usually 
represent the “nigger in the woodpile” when you are 
buying a bargain boat. 

Now take your knife and probe the deadwoods. 
If they are soft and black, leave her alone. Then 
try the garboard strake; those planks next to the 
keel: these rot out first and the seams between them 
and the keel are the most liable to leak. 

Do not think, however, that all this necessarily 
means the boat is beyond hope, for fresh planking 
may be fitted and the seams caulked. Next have a 
look under the hull just beneath the engine bed, 
and see if she leaks there. If so, it is really bad 
business, for it means either that the vibration from 



Summer at Shelter Island 










The Second-Hand Boat 


45 


the engine is too much for the hull or that the bed 
is not set in right. The engine bed may be fixed 
if the boat is worth it, but if the trouble is with the 
hull—better leave her alone. 

If it happens to be a sailboat with an iron shoe on 
the bottom of her keel, remember that the strain is 
much heavier where the keel joins the hull than in 
a boat having inside ballast. If she leaks, therefore, 
along the garboard strake, take note when you go 
aboard to inspect her from the inside that there has 
been provision made for the extra strain; or you 
may find that the caulking will hold good only till 
the first time the boat gets out in a bit of a blow. 

Most books will tell you to use your knife along 
the wind and water line. Really the whole story of 
a boat’s age and construction may be read within 
three feet of the stern post. Some boats at twelve 
years or even twenty are in quite good condition, 
whereas many are so lightly built or poorly con¬ 
structed that the vibration of the engine and a few 
bumps over bars tell badly on them in a few seasons. 

Now let us clamber aboard. Of course, if you 
mind clambering, you had better have stayed home 
and not taken the chance of spending good money 
badly. 

Yes, we’ll lift the flooring. How are the ribs 
down near the keel; are they rotten? Is there an 
old rib and a good one set close against it all the 


46 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

way along? If so, she has been rebuilt; or if you 
see that pieces have been set in to reinforce the boat 
when the original ribs were quite good it i-s possibly 
because the vibration of the engine or something in 
the boat’s construction caused her to strain and leak; 
take care! 

Dry rot is caused by warm, damp, stagnant air. 
Look for it under the after deck particularly. In 
double-decked boats it is very fond of starting be¬ 
tween the decks, due to rain getting between the 
planking and then commencing to steam under a 
warm sun. Dry rot may also start around the heel 
of a mast; a very good reason why masts should 
be unshipped every few seasons for inspection. 

Test with your knife the planking that lies under 
or gets the swash of the bilge water. Other de¬ 
fects, but ones that can be righted, are such things 
as leaky decks, particularly around the cabin comb¬ 
ing; the pipe that sheathes the rudder post having 
rusted; poor fittings, and cracks in the canvas that 
usually covers the cabin roof and occasionally the 
cockpit floor. 

If the hull has come safely through this survey 
you are ready to tackle the engine. See that it sets 
true on its bed and that the bed is built firmly into 
the boat. If it is not set true the shafting will bind; 
if the bearings are worn they may knock, and again 
they may not if doped up with sufficient grease and 


The Second-Hand Boat 


47 


heavy oil. But these troubles and a whole lot of 
others are fully dealt with in the chapters on in¬ 
stallation and engine troubles. 


Chapter IV 


STABILITY 

S TABILITY in a boat is better known to the 
ordinary boating man as that seaworthiness 
that is obtained from the shape of her hull 
and the proper placing of ballast in or on it. 

Now it does not seem to me that the introducing 
of metacentres and figures into this discussion would 
be of material help, for the average man who buys 
a boat does not figure out her displacement and her 
water-line areas, nor look over the blueprints, all 
of which would be absolutely necessary as a basis 
for figuring. 

To know, however, from the general appearance 
of a boat hauled out on the shore, whether or not 
she is liable to be stable in the water, and to be 
able to tell from the feeling of a boat in a seaway 
whether, by a change in the distribution of weights, 
she could be made more comfortable and seaworthy, 
is knowledge well worth while. 

So, with entire disregard for the science of sta¬ 
bility and omitting metacentres, we will drive ahead 
and acquire a little boat-sense. 

48 


Stability 


49 


In every boat’s hull there are two great forces 
eternally pitted against one another, the first of 
which is Buoyancy, with its upward tendency, and 
the second Gravity, with its downward force. 

The center of buoyancy, B, is the center of the 
submerged portion of the boat, while the center of 
gravity, G, is the center of the hull and all the 



Fig. 28 


G is the center of gravity. B When the boat rolls or is 


is the center of buoyancy. 
When not affected by other 
conditions these two forces 
act vertically against one 
another 


forced over by the wind, 
B shifts its position to the 
center of newly submerged 
portion and downward ten¬ 
dency at G helps her to 
right again 


weights that go into a boat. These two points act 
vertically, one against the other, when not affected 
by wind and wave, and if a boat is not designed and 
trimmed so that they rest over one another at the 
normal water-line she will list over until they do. 

Now the center of gravity will remain stationary 
as long as all the weights in the boat keep the 








Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

same position, but in small boats, where the people 
on board represent a fair proportion of the total 
weight, it changes considerably as they either stand 
or lie down, or move all to one side. The center of 
buoyancy, being the center of the submerged por¬ 
tion of the boat, naturally changes when she rolls 
or is forced over by the wind, or the conditions 
referred to above. 

As long as G stays to that side of a vertical line 
through B that tends to bring her back on an even 
keel, the boat is stable. Once it reaches the other 
side, however, the boat becomes unstable and will 
capsize. 

The hull shown in Fig. 28 with its easy deadrise 
and hard bilge sits firmly in the water. It meets 
the sea comfortably and rolls easily but not ex¬ 
cessively, for it becomes much stiffer as it lists over. 
It forms a good underbody for a cruiser. 



Fig. 29 

a b c 

The shallow draft, beamy and somewhat flat bot¬ 
tomed underbody (Fig. 29a) is well suited to run¬ 
abouts, speed boats and fine weather craft intended 









Stability 


Si 

to skim over the water. Unless the bow cuts away 
very easily it will smash too heavily in a big sea to 
be used for outside craft. As it is, then, most suit¬ 
able for boats of this character it will follow that 
there is no reason for their carrying much freeboard. 
Models of this kind are very steady up to a certain 
point (Fig. 29b) but should conditions arise to 
force the lee gunwale under water, as in Fig. 29c, 
the beam decreases, which rapidly changes the rela¬ 
tive positions of G and B and the boat becomes less 
stable. The owner of a runabout, however, is not 
expected to do his boating when it is blowing a 
living gale. 

So far, we have given nearly all our attention to 
the fact that the center of gravity has a tendency to 
pull the boat back into an upright position after she 
has heeled. It is almost as essential that this 
tendency should not be too marked, else she will 
become stiff and consequently uncomfortable in a 
seaway. She will make short, jerky rolls and 
strain heavily. 



Fig. 30 









52 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Fig. 30 is a type of boat with which you will have 
to be more careful. As shown in X without ballast, 
it would be unstable. The round underbody pro¬ 
vides little check to its rolling heavily and the top 
weight is so inclined as to give it that pendulum-like 
swing at the slightest provocation. By stowing 
ballast under the cabin floor, however, the center of 
gravity may be considerably lowered. She then 
becomes a perfectly safe sea boat, but inclined to roll 
heavily. More ballast would make her stiffer in 
ordinary fine weather, but in a big sea would make 
her a distinctly uncomfortable craft. 




The unstability of a V-bot- The same boat may often be 
tom boat with the ballast made a very good sea craft 
in the seat lockers if the same ballast or even 

less is stowed along the 
keel 

Here is the V bottom; it makes a good under¬ 
body on account of its sea-going qualities and 
economy of construction. The twenty-eight-foot 
yawl Sea Bird, sailed by Capt. Fleming Day 








Stability 


53 

from Rhode Island to Rome, had this form of 
construction. 

You will find in the V bottom that deadrise so 
desirable in a cruiser, and tests have proven that 
racing craft with this form of underbody are cap¬ 
able of great speed. The bilge runs out to a hard 
edge and gives the boat a tendency to be very steady 
when designed with good beam, but the reverse is 
true when the boat is lacking in beam. 

Owing to the simplicity of the hull to build, this 
type of craft has stood considerably the assaults of 
the novitiate boat builder, with the result that there 
are probably more models of this kind afloat that 
are unstable, than of boats more difficult to build. 
When properly designed, the type is really one of 
the most seaworthy afloat, but it should always have 
proper beam and the ballast should not be kept in 
the seat lockers but under the flooring, along the 
keel, as low as possible; and, of course, chocked off 
so that in the event of a heavy roll it will not run 
along into the angle of the bilge and cause trouble. 

Our efforts should be directed toward achieving 
that stage of stability where a boat rolls easily, but 
not excessively. The weight should center amid¬ 
ships, not sufficiently to strain the keel at that point 
but enough to let the bow and stern rise easily. 
The company aboard a boat make considerable dif¬ 
ference in her trim, and their standing and being 


54 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

thrown about in a sea or lying down low amidships 
may make a vast difference in a boat’s behavior. 
Remember always that live ballast is the best ob¬ 
tainable. In old sailing days a clipper loaded with 
wool or cattle would always, given the same weather 
conditions, make a faster passage than when cargoed 
with cement or rails. 

Earmarks that might suggest a boat’s being un¬ 
stable or very uncomfortable in a seaway I have 
charted below. 





Cabin 
Top weight-. 

Sucess/ve freeboom 
co/nb/neof w/ft pco' 
Oncterbocty£bed/n .'' 


too much hi//set 
Vciy rennet bottom wit A neither 
h/Afe beets nor rottingchecbS. 


Fig. 32 



Fig. 33 


If a boat behaves badly, due to over-ballasting— 
a thing seldom happening in these days of the motor- 
boat—and not from the shape of the underbody, 
which is more probable, the unnecessary ballast 
should be dispensed with or else raised higher. 

Fig. 33 shows an instance wherein the weight 
















Stability 


55 

of the ballast is so great that G is below B. Some 
sailboats are, of course, ballasted to this extent, the 
stiffness being necessary to withstand the wind pres¬ 
sure on the sails. Such boats are non-capsizable 
but would make very uncomfortable motor-boats in 
bad weather. 

Lightships, as we all know, have to stand for 
much that is bad in the way of weather conditions. 
There is one case on record of a lightship which 
behaved so badly in stormy weather that an “expert” 
was sent for. He immediately proceeded to load 
the bottom of the vessel with ballast. When the 
next storm came that way, the vessel, instead of 
being better, proceeded to throw all hands off their 
feet and upset everything that was not bolted down. 
Second stanza—a naval architect was sent for, and 
he, after looking over the vessel’s lines, proceeded 
to take the ballast out as promptly as the first man 
had put it in. That wasn’t all; to everyone’s sur¬ 
prise he next placed two lead balls at the mastheads. 
After that the ship rolled easily. 

Water in the bilge is a bad element. Not only 
does it raise the center of buoyancy but it acts as a 
swinging weight tending to force the boat over and 
hold it whichever way it rolls. Fuel tanks have 
this same bad effect, and that is one reason why the 
gas, where a large quantity is carried in comparison 
to the size of the boat, should be divided into more 


56 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

than one tank. These tanks in an auxiliary should 
be closed off when sailing that the contents of one 
may not flow down into the other. 

A tender on the cabin roof of a small yacht in a 
big sea may become treacherous, as a breaking wave 
is liable to fill it and thereby turn it into excessive 
top weight. 

Generally speaking, all stock models of boats have 
been designed by naval architects and the scientific 
side of the construction carefully worked out before 
ever nail touched plank. But in the home-built 
models, or those put together by carpenters, yacht 
designing errors in stability are more liable to exist. 


Chapter V 


THE MOTOR FOR THE BOAT 

I SUPPOSE it was due merely to the natural evo¬ 
lution of things (the growth of our cities and 
the man of the minute) that, a few years ago, 
a great cry arose from all over the country for reli¬ 
able marine motors; motors that would give the 
boat owners confidence in their craft, definition in 
their trips and assurance that they would be back 
again on time in their places in the business world. 

The demand was nobly met by the manufacturers. 
Large plants were erected, improved machinery in¬ 
stalled, and every detail of the work both in design 
and workmanship so perfected that it is no longer 
a matter of making engines that will merely run, 
but of making them absolutely fool-proof. If a man 
can remember to do five things in the right order 
he can run almost any marine motor on the market 
to-day, and many of them will run if he does those 
five things in any old order, provided that he does 
them, and does not expect the engine to do just as 
well with four. 


57 


58 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Engines are of two kinds: two cycle and four 
cycle, and the two cycle engine being split in turn 
into the two port two cycle, and three port two cycle. 
Thus, generally we may consider any engine to 
belong to one of three types. 

A cycle is a revolution of time within which the 
same events occur regularly. It is not, as many 
believe, the revolution of a fly-wheel. However, as 



Fig. 34 

A Left Hand engine requires a right hand wheel and has a 
tendency to throw the boat’s head to port. A Right Hand 
engine requires a left hand wheel and will develop a 
tendency to throw the boat’s bow to starboard 

generally used, it is equivalent to “stroke,” and 
many use the term “two stroke” and “four stroke” 
instead of cycle. 

The Two Cycle Engine, when taking a charge 
into the cylinder, compresses, ignites, expands, and 
discharges or exhausts it, all in one revolution of 
the fly-wheel. 

The Four Cycle Engine takes in the charge on 
the out stroke of the piston, compresses the charge 


The Motor for the Boat 


59 


on the in stroke (second cycle) ; then ignites, and 
on the second stroke out (third cycle) expands the 
charge, exhausting on the second stroke in (or 
fourth cycle) of the piston. This requires two 
revolutions of the fly-wheel. In other words, a 
two cycle engine will explode with every revolution 
of the fly-wheel, whereas a four cycle engine ex¬ 
plodes with every alternate revolution. 




The Two Port Two Cycle Engine as shown in 
Fig. 35 draws the mixture through the inlet on the 
up stroke of the piston (P) into the crank case 
(CC), at the same time compressing the previous 










































60 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

charge of the mixture in the cylinder (S). The 
first stroke caused by the explosion drives the piston 
downward, and as it passes the exhaust port (E) 
the burnt gases escape. Immediately afterward, the 
entrance to the by-pass (B) being open, the fresh 
charge of slightly compressed mixture rushes in. 
As it enters, it strikes the deflector (D) and is shot 
up to the head of the cylinder, thus forcing out the 
last of the old charge. The size and position of the 
ports are arranged so accurately that the piston is 
again on its way up, covering the by-pass and ex¬ 
haust ports, before there is time for the fresh charge 
to escape through the latter. Thus the vapor in 
the cylinder is again highly compressed, simul¬ 
taneously as a fresh charge is drawn into the crank 
case, and the operation repeats itself. This happens 
from two hundred to a thousand times a minute, 
according to the revolutions of the engine. 

A carburetor (C), or vaporizer, is attached to 
the inlet (I) and between it and the crank case is 
a check valve (V) which prevents the retreat of the 
gases as the piston starts to descend. 

The Three Port Two Cycle Engine. By refer¬ 
ring to the plan you will easily see wherein the 
three port engine differs from the two port. In it 
the fresh charge is not drawn into the crank case 
(CC) until the head of the piston uncovers the 
inlet (I) and the vacuum in the crank case draws 


The Motor for the Boat 6i 

in a fresh charge of the mixture. At the same time 
the charge in the head of the cylinder (S) is highly 
compressed, ignited by the spark (Sp.) and the 



Fig. 37 


Sectional view of a three 
port engine showing inlet 
port open and the mixture 
rushing in from the car¬ 
buretor to fill the crank 
case. The piston head at 
the same time automati¬ 
cally covers the by-pass 
and the exhaust ports. 
The charge in the head of 
the cylinder now under 
high compression is at this 
moment ignited by the 
spark 


The force of the explosion 
having driven the piston 
down, the exhaust port 
has been opened and the 
gas escapes. At the same 
time the descending piston 
has closed the inlet from 
the carburetor, thus com¬ 
pressing the gas in the 
crank case and opening 
the by-pass, through which 
the vapor escapes into the 
cylinder to be again com¬ 
pressed for the explosion 
as in the previous picture 



























62 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 



Left .—Pos. i. With down stroke of 
piston (P), mixture is drawn 
through inlet (I), valve (A) be¬ 
ing open. 



Pos. 3. Down stroke caused by the 
explosion of the charge. This is 
called the working stroke, as it 
supplies the impetus that forms 
the other three strokes till the 
next explosion takes place. 




Pos. 4. Up stroke: Valve (B) 
being raised, the burnt gases 
escape through the exhaust (E) 
and the engine is again in readi¬ 
ness for a fresh charge as in 
Pos. 1. 



























































































The Motor for the Boat 63 

piston driven down again. As the exhaust (E) is 
partially uncovered the burnt gases escape, and as 
the full length of the stroke is reached the by-pass 



Float-Feed Carburetor 


The air enters at the intake I and is regulated by the air valve 
A. The gasoline mixes with the air through the spray 
nozzle S and is regulated by the needle valve N. The fuel 
in the base B of the carburetor is kept at a uniform level 
by the float F, which automatically closes the trap T when 
the base is full. The plunger P, which is used for prim¬ 
ing, sinks the float, releases the trap and lets a surplus 
amount of gas into base, which naturally finds its exit by 
running out at the spray nozzle. C is the check valve 
fitted on two-cycle engines and G is the gate valve that 
controls the quantity of mixture entering the cylinder and 
thereby regulates the speed 














































64 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

(B) is opened. The fresh charge, which has been 
compressed by this same stroke, now enters. Strik¬ 
ing the deflector (D), it is whirled to the top of 
the cylinder, expelling the last of the old charge. 
Again we find the ports closed by the upward stroke 
of the piston and the cycle of events repeated. 

The Four Cycle Engine, as in the case of the 
others, may be fitted with either a carburetor or 
vaporizer to produce the mixture, and with either 
jump spark or make-and-break ignition to fire it. 

You will note that one whole revolution of the 
engine—two strokes—is used to draw the charge 
into the cylinder and compress it while another two 
strokes are used for the explosion and to clear the 
cylinder of the old charge. 

IGNITION 

Engines are built with either make-and-break or 
jump spark ignition. Although there does not ap¬ 
pear to be a vast amount to choose between the two, 
the make-and-break has in its favor the fact that 
not only is its system the simpler but the high ten¬ 
sion wiring of the jump spark is avoided. In small 
open boats the make-and-break will not short circuit 
as a result of the damp and spray. The jump spark, 
on the other hand, is capable of providing a hot, 
fat spark regardless of the speed of the engine. 


The Motor for the Boat 


65 


A more recent form of igniter is that which com¬ 
bines the induction coil and spark plug in one cylin¬ 
drical waterproof package screwing into the top of 
the cylinder. 


A general summing up 
would suggest make-and 



Fig. 40 

The Make and Break type 
of engine has two contact 
points within the cylinder 
that make the spark. Out¬ 
side there are two wires 
connecting with a primary 
coil 


of these forms of ignition 
-break for heavy duty or 



Fig. 41 

The Jump Spark Engine has 
a vibrating coil and at 
least three wires connected 
to the engine. With this, 
the current jumps a gap 
at the plug, having been 
brought to a very high 
voltage at the coil and 
regulated by a commutator 


medium speed engines, and also for all open craft 
where the motor is exposed to the weather. The 
jump spark should be installed on multiple cylinder, 
medium speed and on all high speed engines. 


POWER 

A thing that has often puzzled motor-boatmen is 
the matter of engine-rating—why their engines are 














66 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

rated lower in power than the same motor installed 
in an automobile. The reason is very simply 
explained. 

The strain upon an engine in a cruiser with a 
heavy propeller is so very great that a modified 
degree of wheel revolutions is of course necessary 
if the engine is to live a long and useful life. In 
consequence of this reduction of revolutions it 
naturally follows that there must be a reduction in 
power in the heavier types of boats, whereas in 
speed boats the light weight of the boat allows of 
an engine running at high speed and thereby de¬ 
veloping its full power and velocity. 

Power in a gasoline engine is the explosive force 
of a given quantity of fuel; roughly based on one 
pint of gasoline per horsepower, per hour, which 
means that it takes one gallon of gas to run an eight- 
horsepower engine for one hour. It therefore stands 
to reason that if an engine burns only a certain 
amount of fuel to each revolution, she must turn 
over a given number of revolutions to develop her 
full power. In other words, if an engine is so de¬ 
signed and built that it develops full power at 500 
revolutions per minute, which represents 500 charges 
of gas, it will then develop but half that power if 
hampered down to 300 revolutions; but this, pro¬ 
vided your spark is timed and your carburetor 
adjusted, is a matter governed by the propeller. 


The Motor for the Boat 


67 

The first thing, then, to determine is the type of 
engine best fitted for the boat in which it is to be 
installed. 

Motor-boats may be classified as follows: 

Light Weight and Racing Boats—designed espe¬ 
cially for high speed. 

Medium Weight Pleasure Boats—designed for 
pleasure or light work. 

Cruisers and Work Boats. 

When boats of different classes are equipped with 
the power best suited to them, best results are ob¬ 
tained. Boats of the first class should be equipped 
with light weight, high speed engines; boats of the 
second class should have medium speed engines, and 
those of the third should have heavy duty, slow 
speed motors. 

High speed motors should operate at 900 to 1,000 
R. P. M. 

Medium speed motors should operate at 500 to 
800 R. P. M. 

Slow speed motors should operate at 300 to 500 
R. P. M. 

Remember that the horsepower of a gasoline en¬ 
gine of given bore and stroke is controlled by the 
revolutions; therefore, any increase or decrease in 
R. P. M. will represent a corresponding variation 
in power. 

“Why not put a high speed engine with a small 


68 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

propeller into a heavy boat,” you may ask, “and by 
gaining in revolutions, get an increase in power 
from a small motor?” Because a small wheel at the 
tail of a heavy cruiser would spend more of its time 
making a hole in the water than in gripping it and 
propelling the boat. 

Which of these three classes of engines is best 
suited for your boat may easily be decided, but 
which of the many makes, shapes and sizes of pro¬ 
pellers will produce the maximum amount of pro¬ 
pelling power without impeding the speed of the 
motor is entirely another matter and one that 
neither book nor man can tell you. 

PROPELLERS 

The manufacturers of an engine usually supply 
the wheels which from experiment and experience 
they have found to be the most practical in size and 
style to use with each particular engine and in dif¬ 
ferent types of craft. As it requires a certain size 
of propeller of a certain pitch to give the desired 
number of revolutions and develop the horsepower 
of the engine, the user will do well to take the usual 
stock propeller, and then, if not satisfied with re¬ 
sults, start experimenting. You will at least find 
the propeller supplied by the manufacturers of the 
engine a good basis to work from, provided you 


The Motor for the Boat 


69 

let the engine men know when ordering the type of 
boat in which it is to be used. Remember that in¬ 
creasing the size and pitch of a propeller always 
means decreasing the revolutions of the engine and 
incidentally the horsepower. 

A propeller should always be entirely submerged; 
the deeper it is and the more solid the body of water 
it cuts, the greater its grip and propelling power. 
That is why a runabout’s wheel standing clear of the 
hull has a maximum of power, and the auxiliary’s 
two-blade propeller set snugly into the deadwoods 
loses much of its hold on the water. 

In auxiliaries, the two-bladed wheel is to be pre¬ 
ferred, as it may be set perpendicularly behind the 
stern post and will not impede the boat to any ex¬ 
tent when sailing. 

There are two or three varieties of reversible and 
feathering wheels, in all of which the shafting is 
run in a sleeve. A lever changes the relative posi¬ 
tions of sleeve and shaft and thus swings the blades 
on the hub. The last form of propeller is that which 
fits directly onto the regular shaft and feathers of 
its own accord when the engine is not running. This 
becomes a particularly desirable feature in auxil¬ 
iaries and power tenders. 

In measuring a propeller, the diameter and pitch 
are the factors to be taken into account. 

In a two-bladed wheel the diameter is the distance 


70 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

from tip to tip. In a three-bladed wheel it is twice 
the distance from the center of the shaft to the tip 
of one of the blades. The pitch of a propeller is 
the distance the propeller would advance in one 
complete revolution in screwing through the water 
if the latter were a solid mass—an advance similar 
to that of a screw entering a piece of wood. 

Thus, a propeller with a 33" pitch would advance 



Fig. 42 

33" through the water in one complete turn of the 
blades if there were no slip, but, of course, there is 
always more or less slip due to the yielding of the 
water. 

The pitch on racing wheels varies considerably 
according to the lines of the hull and the speed of 
the engine. The average motor-boat wheel should 
have a pitch of about 1 times its diameter. The 
standard for auxiliary use is 1times the diameter. 




Chapter VI 


NAVIGATION AND SEAMANSHIP 

I WILL concede that there is great joy in having 
a good boat, but that joy will fade into pale 
insignificance when compared with the joys of 
being able to navigate a veritable tub practically any 
place where there is water enough to float her. The 
ability to make a boat “go” is surely something, but 
to be able, with confidence, to drop your home moor¬ 
ing and clip round the point out into the open; to 
see the last promontory fade away astern, the.blue 
rim of the sea all around; then as the sun goes down 
to pick up the twinkling shore lights, to steer on 
with confidence whither you are bound and read the 
meaning of each light and bell, each rip in the water 
and each rift in the sky—this is navigation as ap¬ 
plied by the ordinary yachtsman and therefore the 
way we will look into it now. 

The navigating equipment aboard a cruiser should 
contain a mariner’s compass, a clock, Government 
charts of the waters covered, parallel rules and 
dividers. An aneroid barometer, a thermometer and 
71 


72 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

a pair of marine glasses are of great help. Pencils 
and erasers are by no means to be ignored. 

THE COMPASS 

The mariner’s compass differs from ordinary land 
compasses in that the point card is itself attached to 
the needle. Thus the North point on the card always 



Fig. 43 


swings to the Magnetic North (disregarding for the 
present the error of compass), while a line in the 
bowl known as the “lubber line” shows the direc¬ 
tion the boat is heading. 

A liquid compass is generally preferred aboard 
small boats, as it is somewhat steadier than the dry 


Navigation and Seamanship 


73 


type and less liable to stick, although I have made 
several thousand miles with nothing better than 
the three-inch card of a dry compass under every 
condition a yachtsman will encounter along the 
coasts of the Eastern States, and have three times 
girdled the globe in the old racing clippers with only 
the dry card in use at the helm. 

It is well to remember, however, that a compass 
will not swing smoothly nor correctly on a pivot 
that is flattened or bent, and as there is usually one 
lubber aboard who, in a moment of excitement, is 
liable to find the compass and put his foot into it, you 
may find it of value to know that by taking off the 
glass cover and card, and smoothing the pivot with 
a piece of fine emery or sand paper and then wiping 
off with a piece of rag dampened with lubricating 
oil, the card will swing easily again; the pivot should 
have a sharp, smooth point. 

Thirty-two points, subdivided again into half and 
quarter points, form the markings on the card that 
every boatman should make it one of his first duties 
to become familiar with. That is to say, if at any 
time there is a possibility of losing sight of land. 

If you look at the naming of these points for a 
little you will note that there is some method in 
their arrangement. Once you have learned them by 
heart and are able to “box the compass,” you have 
mastered the first accomplishment of a real “salt.” 


74 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

As all right angles measure 90°, it follows that 
the quadrant between N and E or any other two 
of the cardinal points will be the same. And as 
there are eight points to each quarter of the com¬ 
pass, the angle between each point is then n° 15 . 


POINTS OF THE COMPASS 


N 

N by E 

_ 

North 

N ii° 

15' 

E 

S 

S by W 

= 

South 

S n° 

15' 

W 

NNE 

— 

N 

22° 

3°; 

45 

E 

SSW 

= 

S 

22 

30' 

W 

NE by N 


N 

33 ° 

E 

SW by S 

= 

S 

33 ° 

45' 

w 

NE 

— 

N 

45° 

00' 

E 

SW 


S 

45 

00 ' 

w 

NE by E 

= 

N 

56° 

15' 

E 

SW by W 

= 

S 

56° 

15' 

w 

ENE 

= 

N 

67° 

30' 

E 

WSW 

= 

S 

67° 

30' 

w 

E by N 

= 

N 

78° 

45' 

E 

W by S 

= 

S 

78° 

45' 

w 

E 

— 

S 

90° 

00' 

E 

W 

= 

N 

90 ° 

00' 

w 

E by S 

= 

S 

78° 

45' 

E 

W by N 

= 

N 

78° 

45' 

w 

ESE 

= 

s 

67° 

30' 

E 

WNW 

= 

N 

67° 

30 ' 

w 

SE by E 

= 

s 

56° 

15' 

E 

NW by W 

= 

N 

5 6 ° 

15' 

w 

SE 

= 

s 

45° 

00' 

E 

NW 

= 

N 

45 

00' 

w 

SE by S 

= 

s 

33 ° 

45' 

E 

NW by N 

= 

N 

33 ° 

45' 

w 

SSE 


s 

22° 

£ 

E 

NNW 

= 

N 

22 

30 ' 

w 

S by E 

= 

s 

11° 

E 

N by W 

= 

N 

ii° 

15' 

w 


The table shows each point of the compass con¬ 
verted into a reading in degrees; if you are unable 
to carry these figures in your head, follow the 
example of most men and get a printed card from 
one of the nautical book stores, or even make out 
a card yourself and keep it with your navigating 
paraphernalia—in fact, the same card as you use for 
your deviation will do. 

The Error of the compass is the difference between 
the compass course and the true course; it is the 
result of two conditions—deviation and variation. 





Navigating in the cockpit 














































































































































Navigation and Seamanship 


75 

The Variation of the compass is the difference 
between the magnetic and the true North. This 
is not the same all over the world; for at some 
points there will be no variation while at others it 
amounts to 40° or 50° east or west. 

Looking at your chart you will probably notice 
that it is drawn up true. But here and there over 
its surface are compass diagrams at an angle, inside 
each of which is marked the variation for that 
vicinity. 

These compasses show the magnetic courses and 
bearings that deal directly with your own compass; 
deviation allowed for. Some charts are known as 
“magnetic charts,” and in these the variation has 
been applied to the whole chart. This you will find 
well covered under Charts. 

The Deviation of the compass is the angle of 
difference between the course steered by compass 
and the true magnetic course. This is caused by 
the iron in the boat, such as engine, ballast, etc., 
which acts upon the compass as a magnet. As the 
course is changed so the relative position of this 
magnet to the compass needle is changed, as is also 
the deviation. Thus the deviation is liable to vary 
considerably with different courses. You will find 
it least on northerly and southerly courses, and 
greatest on easterly and westerly. 

To find the deviation on any one course when 


76 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

coasting, take the bearing of two lighthouses or 
other landmarks when they are in line with one 
another, and compare the bearing by your compass 
with the bearing on the chart. The angle of differ¬ 
ence will be the error of your compass. 




UVCHT 


The lighthouses (L.L.) when in range with one 
by another chart, should bear ENE, although by 
our compass (see the small circle), they bear East. 
It is evident therefore that with the boat on this 
course—which we will say is North—the card is 
being drawn two points to the westward. In other 
words, there are two points of westerly deviation. 
It follows then that in laying out a course and apply¬ 
ing the error you will allow for it in the opposite 
direction. Easterly error is applied to the left and 
westerly error to the right. 

T0 make out a deviation card giving you the com- 


i 


Navigation and Seamanship 77 

DEVIATION TABLE. 



SHIP’8 

HEAD 

DEVIATION 

8teer For 

Magnetio Course 

SHIP’S 

TTV.An 

DEVIATION 

NORTH. 



SOUTH. 


N. by E. 

...Z.-fatk 
A .tor... 

_ 

P.ML 

S. by W. 


N. N. E. 

ftMM. 

S. S. W. 

...JiV.- 

N. E. by N. 

JL k 


5. W. by S. 

. Aw 

N. E 

JL . hr, 

ft&ML. 

s. w. 

A v 

N. E. by E. 

...j..Ak 


S. W. by W. 

.M 

E. N. E. 

Jj. tor 

MM. . 

W. S. W. 

.AM. 

E. by N. 

jim 


W. by S. 

.£*.. 

EAST. 

JL . hL 

Im . 

WEST. 

/ V 

E. by S. 

. Uk.iL 

£ML . 

W. by N. 

.A...k.. 

E. S. E. 

. UUL 

MS 

W. N. W 

.iLk... 

S. E. by E. 

. LAM... 

mi 

N. W. by W. 

.Aml 

S. E. 

. L .ML 

SlkL. 

N. W. 

.AML 

S. E. by S. 

. Am.... 

Sill 

N. W, by N. 

.AML 

S. S. E. 

. AjL 

szU*$. 

N. N. W. 

-X 

S. by E. 

...AM... 

SilU.L 

N. by W 



Steer For 
Magnetic Course 



sms 

Shf$M 

SAkAk 

k/ySH 




HUM 


Fig. 45 








































78 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

pass course to steer for every point of the compass, 
arrange the points as has been done on page 77. 
Then, having secured a bearing from a Government 
buoy to a lighthouse, or other true bearing ashore, 
anchor the boat fore and aft so that she will swing 
from amidships. We will assume that the known 
bearing is west and will start by swinging the boat 
until the lubber line and the N point on the card 
come together; then the E and W points should 
be directly in line with the bearing ashore. In all 
probability this will be the case, for on N and S 
courses the needle is swinging with the iron in the 
boat, whereas on E and W courses it is at the widest 
angle, in which case the deviation will probably be 
greatest. Now swing the boat’s head around to W. 
You may find by compass that you are heading 
W by S. Put W by S against W to show that when 
you wish to steer W the Comp. Co. must be W by S. 
Again swing the boat half way between the true W 
and N points on the shore and take the bearing by 
compass. It may be NW^W, showing that the 
iron in the ship is drawing the card a quarter of 
a point to the northward of the true bearing. Put 
NW34N against NW on your deviation card and 
so swing on to NNW, WNW and the inter¬ 
mediate points until you have the compass course 
to steer for every point of the compass. Should 
you find the same error all the way round, such 


Navigation and Seamanship 


79 

as y 2 W error to all the bearings, it is easier to 
mark either another lubber line inside the bowl of 
the compass or swing the whole box round that 
much. 

Of course when this has been done you are not 
to shift ballast or any metal in proximity to the 
compass and expect the corrections to remain the 
same; a big heeling error in a sailboat will also 
change the error for the time being. The relative 
positions of the boat, the buoy and the shore mark 
must be kept exactly when swinging. 

With the variation plainly marked on the chart, 
and the deviation on the card, it is a comparatively 
simple matter to apply the two to your compass 
and so steer a correct course. Examine your com¬ 
pass, test it by bearings ashore, and keep it con¬ 
tinually before you in fine weather. Learn to trust 
it and see that it is worthy of the trust, for if a 
compass cannot hold your confidence in fine weather 
it certainly will not do so in fogs and tides and on 
dark nights. There is no reason in all the world 
why you should have the least hesitancy in navigat¬ 
ing through any of these conditions. 

To tell direction when a compass card sticks 
or swings. There is nothing more aggravating to 
the man at the wheel when confining his attention 
to the compass than to have that compass stick or 
swing. However, by resorting to one or more of 


80 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

the following aids he may soon regain his confidence 
and the joys of control. 

Regular lines of steamers and tows run on 
straight courses, and provided you know where 
they are going or coming from you may utilize them 
to check up by or to follow. As motor-boatmen, we 
are inclined to pay little attention to wind and wave, 
whereas the man at the wheel in the old sailing 
days would have known merely by the wind blow¬ 
ing past his nose so as to strike his lee cheek 
whether the vessel was coming up into or falling 
off the wind. If it were on the quarter he could 
have held his course by the feel of the wind on his 
neck and easily have told by the rise of the stern 
or the roll of the ship whether or not the wind were 
shifting. 

Again, you may steer by the run of the sea, by 
the shadow of a stanchion, by a star, or by the moon; 
all of them much easier and far more accurate to 
figure by than a sticking compass; though, of course, 
reference should be made to the compass occasion¬ 
ally, for, with the exception of the Pole star, the 
moon and stars and shadows all change position. 

BEARINGS 

The bearings of any two points that you may 
check up on the chart will give your boat’s position. 
Here are three ways of getting a bearing: 


Navigation and Seamanship 


8i 



This bearing, known as a 
cross bearing, is obtained by 
placing two known points 
in line with one another. 
To do this correctly you 
should be very careful in 
swinging your eye across 
the compass. A faulty 
compass will not affect this 
bearing 



Fig. 47 

A bearing taken in this man¬ 
ner requires that error of 
compass should be carefully 
allowed for. The dotted 
lines show where one point 
of easterly error would 
place the boat 



A range bearing, obtained by bringing two objects in line 
with one another—the positions of which are shown on 
the chart—provides one correct magnetic bearing with 
which you may find the error of compass and allow for 
deviation in taking the second bearing. A and B are a 
buoy and lighthouse respectively in range. P is the boat’s 
position along the first bearing. This is determined by 
the second sight C, the compass bearing of which has been 
corrected for error, if any, shown by bearing A B 



82 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


Speed by bearings. By taking two sets of bear¬ 
ings at different points along a coast and the time 
taken in running between them you may actually 


7*-?oHHOS . 

r. . 




p; 




& 


Fig. 49 


8101 nt. OK* ABEAM 

«! . 7 % 

V> I 


ir 

1*T»' 

ft>S 


Fig. so 


gauge the speed you are making, and knowing 
exactly what you should do under similar condi¬ 
tions may form a fair idea of the current. 

To tell the distance from a light or any visible 
object, take a bearing and, having run a mile, allow¬ 
ing for current, take another bearing of the same 
object. Line these off on the chart and from the 
scale at the side of the chart mark off a mile on a 
piece of paper. Lay this between the two bearings 
at the same angle as the course you have been mak¬ 
ing so that it just touches both. The points of 
contact with the second bearing will be your posi¬ 
tion. You may work this out even more accurately 
by running two miles between the bearings. 

Given a bearing four points on the bow, to tell 



Navigation and Seamanship 83 

the distance it will pass abeam. Note your speed 
or the time when the object bears broad off on the 
bow (four points), and again when it is abeam 
(eight points). The distance run between bearings 
is the distance from the object. 

CHARTS 

Charts of all the coast waters are prepared from 
Government survey. They are minutely accurate 
and are kept continually up-to-date. You should 
therefore start each season with fresh charts, unless 
you refer to the weekly “Notice to Mariners,” 
issued without charge by the Government. Light¬ 
ing systems and buoyage marks are continually 
being changed, added to or improved, while bars 
and channels come and go of their own accord. 

In the majority of cases charts are drawn up 
“true,” the correction for variation being marked 
and allowed for in the small compass marks which 
you will find here and there on their surface. In 
a “magnetic” chart this correction has been applied 
to the chart itself, so that north by chart is really 
north magnetic. 

Depths are marked in fathoms on the white por¬ 
tions, and in feet on the dotted. Remember they are 
for mean low water, at full and change of the moon. 
Under or after certain weather conditions the tide 


84 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

may run several feet lower, an item that should re¬ 
ceive careful consideration before attempting to run 
over a bar or through shoal water. 

You will find on each chart a list of the lights 
thereon and the signals they show, the materials that 
compose the bottom and a list explaining the abbre¬ 
viations used throughout the chart. Thus F. W. 
means fixed white light; Fig. R. means flashing red 
light; Rev. W. means revolving white, and so on. 
Again bu. m. means blue mud; wht. s. brk. sh. means 
white sand or broken shells; crs. gr. coarse gravel. 

Rocks awash, that is to say, rocks covered at 
times, are indicated by a small cross: thus, +. 
Rocks always exposed are shown by a single spot. 

On the shore line a flat shore is slightly shaded, 
a rocky shore has ragged, irregular markings, and 
a high, steep shore or bluff has heavy black shading. 
Marshes are indicated by lines; creeks by outline, 
and trees by dots or small circles in light shading. 
Hills are plainly shown by the contour lines, each 
of these lines indicating on most charts a rise of 
twenty feet in height. The closer the lines the 
steeper the hill; the more the lines spread the gentler 
the slope. 

BUOYS, BEACONS AND CHANNEL MARKS 

Of buoys, with which you should become familiar, 
there are spar buoys, can buoys, bell buoys, whistling 


Navigation and Seamanship 85 

buoys, nun buoys and gas buoys; all of which float. 
Then there are spindles and beacons which are solid 
and built into the ground; they usually mark some 
rock or reef. Buoys are the signposts of our water¬ 
ways and when once understood they impart a won¬ 
derful amount of information in their own simple 
way. Following are the rules that govern their 
coloring and numbering: Red buoys are to be 
passed on your starboard or right hand side in 
entering a harbor; black buoys are to be passed on 
the port or left hand side, while buoys marked with 
red and black horizontal bands are to be given a 
wide berth at all times, as they usually mark a wreck 
or other submerged danger. Buoys having black 
and white perpendicular markings are channel 
buoys; they are set in mid-channel instead of the 
alternate red and black on either side; you should 
steer close to them, either side. 

These colorings mean the same on any style of 
buoy. 

Each harbor, channel or body of water has its 
own buoyage system numbered from seaward, the 
black or port buoys having odd numbers, as 1, 3, 5, 
etc., and the red or starboard buoys having the 
even, as 2, 4, 6, and so on. 

Spar buoys are placed where the water fs least 
disturbed; they are the most frequently used and are 
visible at long distances. Nun and can buoys are 


86 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 



Spar Buovs 






















Navigation and Seamanship 87 

built of steel and are used in more disturbed waters, 
nuns to mark the starboard sides of channels, 
obstructions or mid-channels, and cans to mark the 
port side of channels, obstructions and mid-channels. 
They are colored accordingly. 

Gas buoys, bell buoys, whistlers and those mag¬ 
nificent affairs in the shape of combined whistling 
and gas buoys all serve the same purpose and carry 
the same message according to color and numbering, 
with something of an additional advantage in that 
a bell buoy will tell yqu of its whereabouts in a fog 
and a gas buoy at night. 

A spindle is generally placed on a submerged rock 
or shoal. It is composed of an iron shaft sur¬ 
mounted either by a cask, a cone inverted, a double 
cone, a square cage or some other distinguishing 
mark. Spindles are always colored. 

Beacons are built on shoals or upon prominent 
landmarks and are of stone. Sometimes they 
are surmounted by a spindle. They also have dis¬ 
tinguishing marks. 

On the chart, red buoys will be colored red with 
number alongside, and black buoys colored black 
with number alongside. Danger buoys will be col¬ 
ored with black and red horizontal “stripes.” Mid¬ 
channel buoys will be drawn with black and white 
“perpendicular stripes.” 

Buoys may be placed either within a few feet of 


88 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 
















Navigation and Seamanship 89 

or half a mile away from the danger they mark, 
according to whether the waters are confined or not. 

Where you find a buoy numbered to a half it is 
because that buoy has been placed between two 
others already consecutively numbered. Thus were 
you to light upon 9*4 you would find next to it 
from seaward 10, or if you were leaving port, 9. 
Sometimes when additional buoys are planted there 
may be added to the number a letter, such as A, B, 
etc. 

To enter an unbuoyed harbor. Steer in as close 
to the shore as is safe and establish your position 
accurately by bearing. Now on your chart lay off 
the course in pencil through the deepest water and 
note the shore conditions for which you are bearing. 
Watch your compass carefully to see that a current 
is not carrying you either way, for with straight 
steering the course toward any one landmark should 
remain the same. Lay your course so that the shore 
bearing remains the same; go slowly and use the 
lead occasionally. 

TIDES 

As far as the astronomers have been able to 
discover, tides appear to follow the moon. Why 
they do this, or rather why the wise men think they 
do, will not afford us sufficient material benefit at 


90 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

the present writing, but it is well to know that with 
the full and change of the moon you will have your 
highest and lowest tides and therefore the swiftest 
flowing ones. 

It is well to have tacked up in your cabin a cal¬ 
endar stating the times of high water for the year 
for places in your vicinity, and also the dates of 
the phases of the moon. With a reference such as 
this you may see at a glance whether the tide is 
with or against you, and therefore know what you 
may expect in the way of a current. Tides that 
rise seven feet at full and change of the moon, may 
rise only four or five at the first and last quarters. 
But even this may make quite a difference in your 
ability to pass over a bar without striking. It means, 
too, that nearly half as much more water has to 
scurry off to the sea on the six hour ebb and that 
as much more has to come scurrying back on the 
flood; all of which will make a vast difference in 
the time of a small boat on a short trip. 

Let us take an example. Artful has a boat that 
makes seven miles an hour; Bachelor has one that 
makes nine. A works a trip on the tide, B tries 
the same trip on the alternate week-end, when the 
tide of course is running the opposite way at almost 
half or double the speed of the previous week. The 
little cove for which they are heading is just twenty 
miles away, and the greater part of the run—once 


Navigation and Seamanship 91 

they are out round the point and until they get in¬ 
side the opposite headland—is across a stretch of 
water where they meet the full force of the current. 

Now A leaves his mooring at 10:30, and by slip¬ 
ping down on the tide, which we will say is running 
at two and a half miles an hour, makes a speed of 
nine and a half miles, arriving at his destination 
in time to be ashore for lunch at one o’clock. In 
a faster boat, B leaves at the same time on the fol¬ 
lowing Sunday to do the same trip, but in the inter¬ 
val the moon has changed from first quarter to full 
and the tide now runs in the opposite direction at 
four miles an hour. Result: the nine-mile boat 
makes only five actual miles an hour. At this rate 
it would take B four hours to make the run, by 
which time the tide would change and he might 
reach port in time to turn round and start the long 
grind home again. 

It is in strong adverse tides that the ability to 
speed up an extra mile an hour is appreciated, for 
in a four-mile current a six-mile boat makes but 
two miles an hour headway, whereas an eight-mile 
boat makes four; in other words, the latter boat is 
twice as fast as the former. Therefore it is evident 
that every mile you can add over the speed of the 
current will be clear gain; moreover, it will enable 
you the sooner to get into better water. 

To tell the direction of a current. Tides, you will 


92 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

soon find, are a very important item, and the smaller 
or slower your craft the more consideration the 
tides should receive. Going in and out of harbors 
you may tell how the tide is running by the way the 
spar buoys and saplings hang, or even by eel grass, 
or a bunch of reeds. These will all sway over or 
float to the current. Around stationary objects you 
may catch sight of the ripple, but never stop the 
engine to tideward of a big Government buoy to find 
out. 

In ordinary good water, when the tide is running 
against the wind, it will throw up little white rips, 
whereas with the same amount of wind and the 
tide in the same direction there will be only a gentle, 
oily ripple. With the wind across the tide there 
will be an unsettled appearance of the water. In 
outside waters a long swell coming in from the 
ocean is either the aftermath of a heavy wind or 
the forerunner of a blow to come. In either case 
it may carry a tide in the direction of the swells. 
If none of the above methods presents itself to 
your satisfaction, stop the engine so that the boat 
may drift; then by dropping a line over the side 
with a weight that will fetch bottom you will soon 
be able to see which direction you are drifting. 

Tide pointers. Although a current invariably 
rips when rounding a point, it is in the bight that 
lies between two headlands that you may look for 


Navigation and Seamanship 


93 

slack water and often an eddy or a current running 
in the opposite direction to the main stream. 

Should you happen, as has been the writer’s un¬ 
comfortable experience, to discover some day that 
you are being carried out to sea at about eight miles 
an hour, and that your anchors are of as much use 
as wire nails hung over the side, don’t worry. Sup¬ 
posing you are in a rowboat, pull obliquely across 
the current to that edge of it which is nearest the 



Fig. 53 


Close inshore to tideward of a headland you will encounter 
the strongest current, but in behind the point is usually 
slack water 

shore, and which will be very plainly marked by 
a turbulent ridge of whitecaps and ugly swirls. 
Refer to your chart to be sure you are clear of 
rocks, and note not only the condition of the bottom 
off the points, but also the water inside the bight 
that you can best make—that is to say, once clear 
of the tide. To hit a submerged rock in the current 
or to touch bottom would be fatal, but when you 
are inside the point and into slack water it becomes 
a case of go as you please. In a boat with power 
you have more control, according to the speed and 


94 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

seaworthiness of the craft, but it will probably be 
best to head her into the tide, going slowly, and 
work out to the side till you see a good place to 
drop into and await slack water or change. 

Look for the strongest currents in the smallest 
inlets, bearing in mind the size of the body of 
water that lies behind and has to run through on 
a tide. Remember depth as well as breadth has 



Shows how the ebb tide or a river 
current may still be running out 
on one side of a bay after the 
flood has started on the other 



Fig. 55 

The natural course of 
a river bed, and 
where a bar is likely 
to be thrown up 


much to do with the reckoning. Where a river 
empties into a bay the ebb tide runs longer than the 
flood. 

On some bays the ebb tide is still running down 




Navigation and Seamanship 


95 

If you have no chart of unknown waters, follow 
along on the basis that tide and current cut the 
channel, their route being from one point to another. 
Note the sketch and you will see not only the 
natural channel that a stream would make, but where 
the silt coming down with the current is liable to 
be piled up and form a bar. 

In coasting along a shore with heavy indentations 
you should reckon upon being set offshore by the 
ebb, and inshore by the flood, tide. A strong off¬ 
shore wind will cause low tides; a strong breeze 
from the sea will cause high tides, and, again, the 
wind may prevent the tide rising or falling. This 
should be carefully borne in mind in conjunction 
with the depths as given on the charts. A combina¬ 
tion of strong, continuous wind and a change of the 
moon will give the highest tide and therefore the 
swiftest currents. 

As wind against tide always kicks up a nasty chop 
of a sea, you should take note in fine weather where 
the tide-rips in your local waters are. Then, in foul 
weather, you may avoid uncomfortable sailing by 
laying your course clear of them. 

A tide rises on three distinct waves, and between 
these waves it may even recede for a few moments, 
in fact long enough to swing a buoy in the opposite 
one side of the bay after the flood has started up 
the other, as diagramed in Fig. 54. 


96 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

direction to which it should be. To avoid confu¬ 
sion, it is best therefore to consult your tide tables 
carefully when cruising. 

The direction of the current is no criterion as to 
whether a tide is rising or falling. Tide and current 
no doubt invariably change together along the shore, 
but in such bodies of water as Long Island Sound— 
fed by a large number of rivers and streams—-the 
tide may have changed from one to three hours be¬ 
fore the current. At Plum Gut, for instance, you 
will find an eight-hour ebb and a four-hour flood. 
As it is the current that helps or delays a boat, and 
the combination of current and wind that makes a 
sea, it is evident that in addition to your tide tables 
you may use a careful judgment to advantage. In 
waters that you navigate regularly, a little observa¬ 
tion may be laid away for future use. 

LEEWAY 

When a vessel sails with the wind coming 
from any point other than aft, the tendency of 
the wind is to push that boat in the direction in 
which it itself is blowing; and although the boat’s 
shape will necessitate her sliding ahead there is 
always more or less of an angle made with the course 
steered. It is this angle that measures leeway. You 
will see it by looking directly astern when the boat 
is steadied on her course and sailing close hauled. 


Navigation and Seamanship 


97 


The stronger the wind, the bigger the sea; and the 
closer the boat is held up into it the more she will 
sag to leeward and consequently the greater will be 
the angle of leeway. From a half to one and a half 
points is as much as you will generally have to allow 
when the wind is forward of the beam; nothing 
when the wind is abaft the beam. 

To allow for leeway, take the opposite bearing 
from the course which you are steering. Take an- 




.sTEEJMJ?. 


Fig. 56 


Leeway is the angle between the vessel’s wake and a line 


projected directly astern 


other bearing of the vessel’s wake astern. The dif¬ 
ference between them is the leeway, or, in other 
words, the line of your wake is the course made— 
uncorrected for comp, error. 

POSITION BY “DEAD RECKONING " 

Dead reckoning (as it is nautically called) is 
the systematic form of reckoning a boat’s position, 
kept by large vessels at sea. It is verified each 
day at noon, by observations of the sun, or when 
land is within sight by bearings from the shore. 

In cruising, you should always navigate by dead 






98 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

reckoning, for it provides a method of establishing 
your position in the event of your being unable to 
pick up the land, and checks back to your navigating 
from the man at the wheel. Whereas your regular 
navigating would begin at the chart and finish at the 
helm, dead reckoning, you might say, starts at the 
helm and finishes at the chart. To navigate in this 
manner it is necessary to make out a form similar to 
the one shown so that the man on deck may jot down 
the data from which the reckoning is kept. The 
time at which each entry is made is placed under 
Hr. (hour) and the course steered by compass under 
Comp. Co. I have also entered for the benefit of 
the uninitiated in this particular example, the com¬ 
pass course corrected for deviation, though it is not 
regularly entered on the slate. 

In the adjoining column is noted the tide and its 
direction for the time which the boat has been on 
that course, or until the next entry on the slate. 
Following this is the direction of the wind, and the 
amount of leeway made, if any. Now comes the 
distance the boat has sailed and lastly the revolu¬ 
tions of the engine, if running. The next two 
columns are filled in by the navigator and represent 
the course true mag.—that is, the compass course 
corrected for error—leeway and tide; also the cor¬ 
rected distance, which is the total distance covered, 
with allowance made for tide. The remarks arc 


Navigation and Seamanship 


99 


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ioo Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

entered by the man on deck and consist of wind 
and weather conditions, of bearings made, vessels 
sighted, etc. 

It takes but little thought to appreciate the value 
of a memorandum of this sort when you are doubtful 
of a landfall and the watch on deck are not quite 
sure as to courses steered when it was your watch 
below. Moreover, notes of this sort will form 
treasured records of your trips in seasons yet to 
come. 

Leeway should concern the sailing man only. It 
is an item scarcely to be considered in power boats 
except in very heavy blows where the craft has 
little grip of the water and a high freeboard to the 
wind. 

Engine revolutions form one of the best gauges 
of a power boat’s speed. In large steamers the 
distance run is calculated exactly by the engine-room 
report on the revolutions turned up. 

THE LEAD 

Heaving the lead in the genuine deep-sea fash¬ 
ion is a fine art which on a small boat would 
present excellent opportunity for breaking the 
binnacle or hitting your head. Therefore we 
will not line our men along the weather rail, each 
with a coil of the line, and we will not with a 


Navigation and Seamanship 


IOI 


wild overhead swing of a fourteen-pound lead land 
it plump into the sea some hundred feet ahead: 
rather we will satisfy ourselves with the regulation 
seven-pound lead used by yachts, in the bottom of 
which is a small hollow to accommodate a chunk of 
tallow that will bring up a sample of whatever is on 
the bottom of the sea. Now we will station forward 
the man who is to heave the lead and aft the man 
with the rest of the line who is to take the sounding. 
Said man forward is to swing the lead overhead or 
any other way, according to his ability, so that it 
hits the water as far forward of the boat as possible, 
and said man aft has to take in the slack line im¬ 
mediately the lead reaches bottom, noting the read¬ 
ing as it falls into the perpendicular. 

Following are the lead line markings: 

2 fathoms.Two strips of leather. 

3 “ .Three strips of leather. 

5 “ .White cotton rag. 

7 “ .Red flannel rag. 

io “ .Round piece of leather with a hole in it. 

13 “ .Same as at 3. 

15 “ .Same as at 5. 

17 “ .Same as at 7. 

20 “ .Piece of cord with two knots. 

The above are the regulation lead line markings 
and may be carried on to 100 fathoms, but as no 
yachtsman will want soundings in a hundred fathoms 
we will stop at 20. Personally I keep a ten-fathom 













102 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

lead line on hand and find that this fully fills all 
requirements. However, I have added to the above 
markings by inserting a cord at the intervening 
“deeps,” with a small knot for each fathom, and at 
each half fathom for the first five a plain cord. 
Thus at four fathoms will be a cord with four 
knots; at four and a half a plain cord; at five 
fathoms, five knots; at five and a half, a plain cord, 
and so on. 

NIGHT RUNNING 

The matter of cruising along a coast with which 
you are not familiar is rather easier at night 
than in the day, for lights are visible at much greater 
distances than land and by the aid of the chart may 
be definitely located. And it is from them that your 
position is determined. Thus, by keeping well out 
in open water and taking bearings from time to 
time, you may know your position more positively 
and make better progress at night than in the day, 
when it would be necessary to run close up to buoys 
or lighthouses to read their markings. 

Mark on your chart in pencil the point of de¬ 
parture ; lay off the course you wish to make, apply 
the compass correction to it and steer that course 
and no other. Mark along the line of your course 
the visible distance of each light by taking the radius 
















104 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

of its visibility from the scale at the side with a 
pair of compasses, and marking in pencil where the 
arc cuts your course. The visibility of lights is given 
for fifteen feet above the water. 

On the preceding page is a chart marked off for 
night sailing. Note that each time the position has 
been checked a cross has been marked with the time 
against it. The dotted line represents the course laid 
off, and the full line the course made good accord¬ 
ing to bearings. Make it a rule when checking your 
position to mark it down each time. Leave nothing 
to memory or expectation, for tides at times will 
greatly upset your calculations. 

Side lights must always be kept burning brightly 
and on sailboats great care must be taken that neither 
becomes blanketed by the jib. Side lights, mast¬ 
head lights and stern lights should all be inspected 
every half hour. 

In steering, steady the boat on her course by 
compass, but whenever possible hold her to it by 
steering by a shore light or star. Remember your 
rule of the road for a vessel’s lights at night, and 
apply it. Keep a sharp lookout for stray logs and 
avoid spar buoys; they are bad things to hit. 

A fixed light sighted from a distance will some¬ 
times in a big swell resemble a revolving light. This 
is due to the rise and fall of the boat bringing it 
into sight and then hiding it. 


Navigation and Seamanship 


I0 5 

Lights are occasionally visible three or four miles 
farther off than they are supposed to be. This will 
be the case when you have that very clear effect 
along the horizon. Incidentally, this condition of 
the atmosphere usually foretells a blow. More fre- 



Where the wrong light comes into sight over the low land 
and the right one is hidden by the high bluffs. Here 
the navigator who does not watch his compass is liable 
to be misled 

quently, however, the atmosphere may be thick, so 
as to reduce the visibility of lights considerably, and 
a white light may appear red, or a red and white 
flashing light shows only the white until you are 
well inside the range. Time each light as it flashes; 
take its bearing and see that your timing is cor¬ 
roborated by the chart. 




106 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

A flashing light actually flashes, whereas a re¬ 
volving light throws out one beam of light which 
travels all round the horizon. The difference in 
appearance to the observer is that in the former case 
the light flashes instantly into sight and at the end 
of its exposure flashes out again, and in the latter 
you may see the flash growing brighter as it arrives 
and diminishing as it leaves you. 

In running along a neck of land or an island 
where the shore is low you may confuse a light on 
the further coast with a similar light in your own 
locality. There is a very good instance of this case 
when making the Gut from the inside of Long 
Island Sound. 

Naturally you will be watching for the red light 
of the Orient as you make up toward Plum Gut, 
and if you should hug the Long Island shore you 
will no doubt sight one bearing that will be about 
right. It will not be the Orient, however, but Long 
Beach light seen across the low neck of land, which, 
as if purposely to confuse us, rises again and hides 
the Orient and Plum Island lights just beyond. The 
moral to be learned in a case of this kind, as with 
most other points in navigating, is the value of 
accuracy. The chart plainly shows that when 
Orient light is in sight, to make the Gut Plum Island 
light must be in sight also. Many lights show a 
red or danger sector. Do not confuse this with a 


Navigation and Seamanship 107 

red light. If you find yourself in the red sector zone 
of a light run cautiously at right angles to the light 
till it shows the proper signal. 

It is very difficult to judge one’s distance off a 
visible shore at night. Generally, however, low land 
is much closer than it appears to be. High land, on 
the other hand, owing to the dark shadows it throws, 
looms easily into sight, although it may really be 
farther away. The main trouble with picking up 
high land is that one’s attention is liable to be drawn 
to it, thereby distracting attention from the low, 
sandy beach that may run along half a mile to sea¬ 
ward of it. 

NAVIGATING IN A FOG 

When navigating in a fog, have the lead line 
handy; spread out your chart, lay off your course 
and determine which way the tide is running. 

Right: we’ll say the course is from Falkner’s 
Island to Plum Island light which, when marked off 
on the chart, shows E by S^S. The tide is flood¬ 
ing, making a current oi 2 1 / 2 miles an hour Wj^S 
according to our judgment. 

Now from the point of departure A, lay off a line 
in the direction from which the current is coming; 
check off along it against the tide—the distance that 
it will carry you within the hour—2H miles. From 


io8 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


this point draw another line parallel to the course 
to be made, along which prick off your running 
distance for an hour; for example we will say that 
it is approximately eight miles, thereby placing you 
at B. Join A and B and you will have the course 
to steer and the actual distance you will have to run 
to make a good eight miles on the course E by Sj 4 S. 


■if 


-■ c - - COPR.SE to be 

-to STEER F US-^ST.IO'STILS, 


Course to bi Mape Eby-S-frS TN — “ — - 




Parallel to Course to be Made 

Fig. 59 

To find the course to steer and distance to run through a 
current 

Having worked out the above problem two or 
three times you will find it to be very simple. 
Naturally, should the distance to be run be less than 
eight miles, all that is necessary for you to do is to 
mark off the distance you wish to go on the parallel 
course to be made; then by drawing a line parallel 
to the current line until it meets the line A B you will 
have the actual distance you are to run; which in¬ 
cludes allowance made for the tide. 

From the above it may be seen how necessary it 
is to be able to judge accurately the speed you are 
able to make under various weather conditions rather 







Navigation and Seamanship 


109 

than your record time over a measured mile on a 
millpond surface. 

There is no better check on your calculations in 
fog running than the lead. Cast it and see that the 
depth and bottom composition agree with the posi¬ 
tion in which your chart places you. If it does not 
check up, note immediately the place where it does; 
run a bit further; take another sounding and refer 
to the chart again. A marked difference in the 
bottom composition will soon assure you of your 
position, and then, by allowing for tide or any other 
disturbing element that may have set you wrong, 
you will soon find soundings and reckonings check¬ 
ing one another off most joyously. 

When you hear the horn or buzzer of a large 
vessel approaching allow a lapse of two or three 
seconds before answering, so that the officers in 
charge of the larger boat may have time to clear 
their heads of the deafening vibrations of their own 
horn and thereby be able to hear yours. 

Do not interpret signals haphazard in a fog. 
For instance, should you hear a horn on your port 
bow and very shortly afterward the same signal 
repeated on your starboard beam; and should you 
have a repetition of this a number of times, look for 
possibilities of an echo. If this be the case, the 
signal you hear first is the one to be reckoned with. 
The sails of a passing vessel will oftentimes throw 


I io Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

an echo, and even the hulls of other vessels; a rock 
or the shore will do the same thing, each at greatly 
varying distances. 

Always make sure to avoid a tow; for it is liable 
to swing considerably to either side of its course 
and, moreover, is little under command. To get foul 
of a long stretch of tow line is serious business. 
The signal given for an approaching tow is one long 
blast followed by two short ones; same for towed 
as the vessel towing, so keep a sharp watch when 
you hear these signals from positions that sound 
suspicious. 

Other rules for vessels in a fog you must learn 
with your “Rules of the Road.” 

TO TELL SHOAL WATER 

Even the most cautious of men will sometimes 
find themselves in shoal water. You should there¬ 
fore be able to tell shoal water immediately you are 
in it and, moreover, be able at once to pick the 
channel out of it. We will assume that your boat 
does not draw more than five feet, for at a greater 
depth the bottom has only a general effect on the 
color of the water, and therefore does not help ma¬ 
terially in telling the exact depth. With a boat of 
this draft, however, the following general rules will 
apply: 


Navigation and Seamanship i i i 

When running over a sandy shoal, you will first 
notice the fact by an uncomfortable ground swell, 
while the water will have gradually taken on a light 
green coloring. Rock bottoms with little patches 
of sand between the bowlders can readily be dis¬ 
cerned, for they will take on something of the color¬ 
ing of the weeds, a reddish color, or a deep green 
from the rocks. The small, white blotches of sand, 
however, will first attract your attention. 

The foregoing refers, of course, to good, clear 
boating water, and not to the water found about the 
mouths of some rivers. This latter will often be 
found discolored, either as a result of rainfall or the 
presence of refuse. In cases where you find a series 
of swirls in the water, although there is a good 
sweep of tide coming down stream, you may look 
for the presence of a bar, probably the result of the 
silting up of refuse and sand. Again, further out 
stream you may find these swirls in great numbers, 
but this may be the result of a divergence of cur¬ 
rents, and not, as you might at first suppose, the 
presence of shoal water. At Hell Gate, where two 
or more currents come together, you will find these 
conditions existing, there being here a great number 
of swirls resulting in a choppy condition of the sur¬ 
face. You need not, however, be in the least dis¬ 
turbed, for there will be plenty of water. In fact, 
this is often the case, as for instance, at Brandon 


H 2 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Reef in Long Island Sound, where the disturbed 
condition of the water extends considerably beyond 
the reef itself, this being especially the case when a 
strong tide is running. When running from water 
ten or more fathoms deep into twelve feet, you will 
note the change immediately, for the deep ocean 
blue will shift to a greenish color, with just a little 
of the tone of whatever composes the bottom. 

LEAVING THE MOORING OR A DOCK 

When you have everything shipshape and are 
ready to cast off from a mooring, take in on the 
slack of the dinghey painter that the bight may not 
drop into the water or foul the propeller; try the 
engine to make sure that it is running—and let go. 
The boat should always be allowed to drop back far 
enough to clear the mooring before starting ahead; 
have a care then in sheering her off with the helm 
that the stern does not swing in far enough to foul 
it. Similarly, in leaving a landing, never put the 
helm down too suddenly or the stern will swing in 
and fetch up with a smash against the. wharf or 
float. 

ENGINE-ROOM SIGNALS 

As you cannot go very far in a power-boat 
without signalling the engineer, following are the 
recognized signals to the engine-room: 


Navigation and Seamanship 113 

When engine is stopped—One bell means Ahead, 
Slow. 

When running ahead slow—Jingle means Full 
Speed Ahead. 

When running full speed ahead—One bell means 
Slow Down. 

When running ahead slow—One bell means Stop. 

When running full speed ahead—Four bells mean 
Astern. 

With jingle—Full Speed Astern. 

When no jingle is provided the following signals 
may be used: 

When stopped—One bell means Ahead. 

When running ahead—One bell means Stop. 

When stopped—Two bells mean Astern. 

When running astern—One bell means Stop. 

When running ahead—Four bells mean Astern. 

TO MAKE A LANDING 

When it comes to making a landing, if you 
have a choice of sides, always come up to lee¬ 
ward; if there is a tide running, head into it unless 
you are handling in a breeze that is stronger than 
the tide, in which case head into the wind. 

Should it commence to blow enough to pile up a 
big beam sea, causing the boat to roll uncomfortably, 
even dangerously, meet the waves a little forward of 


114 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

the beam for a while and then sheer off and take 
them just abaft the beam. By so doing you will 
avoid the heavy roll. 

HANDLING IN A STORM 

You can run before a high following sea for 
only a certain length of time, the tendency of the 
seas as they catch the stern quarter of the boat being 
to make her broach to: that is, swing round so that 
the next comber is liable to break over her. In big 
storms you will find the sea does not run steadily 
but that once in a while there comes a succession 
of high seas, usually three in number, followed by 
comparative calm. A drag from the stern of the 
boat will aid a good deal in preventing the broach 
to, but it will also diminish the speed; so much so, 
in fact, that unless you have a double ender, or a 
boat with a particularly fine stern for weathering 
seas, it is advisable to lay to, head on. An empty 
wooden case, such as you get your stores in, may 
be rigged into an effective sea anchor, by attaching 
a line to the four corners as in the sketch. A bucket 
will even be of service in a small boat. A real sea 
anchor, however, which everybody should learn to 
make, and one that looks well in print, is made 
thus: Lash two oars together crosswise, and over 
this kite-like structure stretch a piece of canvas— 


Navigation and Seamanship 


11 5 

old sails, awning, bed coverings, anything, we don’t 
care what—but hustle. Lash them on, and lash 
them well, making sure they are tied on that side 
which receives the pressure. Hang a weight on one 
corner, or two, so as to sink it. Then rig lines as 
shown in the sketch. 


^SD 


A strong case may be 
rigged into a sea anchor 
at short notice 


In the open sea a sunken A canvas drogue, which may 
dinghey ahead will be bet- be purchased at the ship 
ter than one astern chandler’s 

Fig. 6o 

Pay out your sea anchor on as much line as pos¬ 
sible: use one of your anchor lines or the gantline 
which every boat should carry. Having done this, 
find one or two big wads of cotton waste, tie them up 
in bagging or anything that will serve the purpose, 




deal of preparation 










116 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


soak them with oil—linseed or engine oil will do— 
and hang them over the bow, one on each side. 

You will often find it best to meet a big sea a 
little on the bow, thus offering more of the buoyancy 
of the boat to it and allowing the bow to come down 
‘with less of a smash in the trough that follows. Of 
course, to meet a big sea in this way, using oil at 
the same time, it will be necessary to suspend both 
bags from the weather side, one from the bow and 
one from the stern. See sketches. 




Fig. 6i 


Positions for oil bags and sea anchor to meet a sea, either 
head on or on the bow, when riding out a storm 


ANCHORING 

When you are running in among a fleet of 
boats lying at their home moorings, take particular 
care when dropping your anchor that you do not 
foul the moorings. Not only should you be par¬ 
ticular about this on account of the trouble it will 
cause the natives, but should you happen to hook in 
near the shank of an old and deeply sunk mushroom, 
you are liable to have a merry time getting clear 
again. 




Navigation and Seamanship 117 

A small anchor on a long line is more efficient than 
a large anchor on a short line; the boat will ride 
easier on the long cable while at the same time the 
strain on the rope will be less. 

In very crowded anchorages where there is a 
strong tide running, boats find it necessary to lie to 
two anchors. Some have to anchor fore and aft 
while others drop two anchors from the bow. The 
former method you will find in use behind Glen 
Island and the latter on the Shrewsbury River. To 
anchor fore and aft drop your bow anchor, pay out 
well as the boat drops back, and when you have gone 
a hundred feet, distance to be tempered by judg¬ 
ment and necessity, drop the stern anchor. Now 
take in again on the bow anchor, pay out at the stern 
and when you lie about half way between the two, 
belay. 

To lie to two anchors so that the boat will remain 
in the same position, except for the swing of its 
own length whether the tide be sweeping in or out, 
drop one anchor fifty or sixty feet above where you 
intend to lie. Now drop back with the tide 100 to 
120 feet, paying out on the anchor you have down 
as you go, drop the second anchor, take in half of 
the first cable again and pay out as much on the 
second, and you will be anchored so that at the turn 
of the tide instead of making a sweep of a hundred 
feet or more you will just swing to the other anchor. 


118 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Should you wish to hang to two anchors so that 
the weight of the boat will be equally distributed 
between them when riding out bad weather, drop the 
first anchor, put the helm over a bit so as to run on 
about fifty feet at right angles to the wind, and then 
drop the second. Head the boat into the wind and 
pay out on both cables so that the weight of the 
boat is evenly distributed. 

Should you be anchoring to fish, we will say, 
where there is a known foul bottom, you may take 
precaution by making a light line fast to the crown 
or lower hook of your anchor so that in the event 
of its fouling a rock or anything else you can clear 
by hauling up on the tripping line. 

Breaking out an anchor. If an anchor does not 
break out easily start the engine ahead; this will 
usually trip it, otherwise run round in a circle and 
work it out. A sailboat in like manner will sail up 
over her anchor, tacking from side to side and work¬ 
ing it loose. 

Kedging. There are no intricacies of manipula¬ 
tion which need explanation when initiating you into 
the secret of kedging; all that is necessary for you 
to do is to hang a small handy anchor over the stern 
of your dinghey with the end of your gantline made 
fast to the ring. The gantline should be paid out 
from the big boat and the anchor should be sus¬ 
pended from a slip line rove through the ring and 


Navigation and Seamanship 119 

made fast to the thwart where the oarsman is seated, 
so that he may slip it quickly and easily without 
climbing round the boat. It is rather more essential 
here to suggest the several instances wherein kedg- 
ing is of material assistance. 

First instance: mooring parted! Boat drifted 
broadside onto a dock and staving her sides in! 
Boat-hook no good! Engine won’t fill the bill! 
Don’t worry: run out a kedge. If it is blowing hard 
coil your gantline in the dinghey, bend the anchor 
rope onto the end of the gantline and pay out from 
the big boat as the dink rows away till it can drag 
no more. Now start paying out the gantline from 
the small boat and drop the kedge as far to wind¬ 
ward of the big one as it can be carried. Lead 
through the forward chock aboard and heave away. 

Second instance: stuck on a bar! Engine won’t 
budge her! Tide falling! Don’t worry; run out a 
kedge from the direction in which you came on and 
heave off stern first. To start the boat, set a heavy, 
steady strain on the rope, put all the weight on one 
side and run the engine astern. The greatest help 
possible to procure is the stern wave from a passing 
vessel. If you have a sailboat with a rocker keel— 
that is, one of those rounded sorts—do as above, 
only shift the weight to the bow; this raises the 
stern and generally enables her to slide off. 

Sometimes, particularly in a sailboat with the 


120 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

wind and tide aft, it pays to take a trip round in 
the dinghey and sound for the deepest water. Then 
if you have stranded just on top or on the end of 
a bar you will know it and it may be very much 
easier to kedge over it with the assistance of the 
elements rather than against them. 

TO LAND ON A LEE SHORE 

This lee shore landing is not exactly the nicest 
nor safest thing in all the world to have to do, 
but if it should be necessary, row up to the edge 
of the breakers and, if you have a square-sterned 
boat, watch your chance before you reach them and 
turn the boat round so as to meet the sea head on 
and back in toward the shore. As a good, high 
breaker comes in, pull the boat to meet it, and as it 
passes reverse and back shoreward with all your 
might, so as to travel as far up the beach as possible 
with it. As soon as the water smarts running back 
and the boat takes the beach, jump out and run her 
up if you can, otherwise just run yourself and let 
the boat go. 

MAN OVERBOARD 

When this happens, throw out a life buoy or belt 
and shout “Man overboard V if there is any one 


Navigation and Seamanship 121 

aboard to help. Stop the engine and put the helm 
hard down. Station a man to keep a careful watch 
of the unlucky one, as it is remarkably easy to lose 
sight of a man between the swells. If you have any 
sort of a mast the lookout should go aloft, as he will 
from there be able to see and direct the movements 
of the boat or those in the dinghey. 

Excepting such cases wherein the man is very 
near and there is no chance of losing sight of him, 
it is best to put off in the dinghey to pick him up. 
This will keep the big boat in the same relative posi¬ 
tion as when the accident happened, whereas if you 
start maneuvering in the big boat and lose sight of 
your man you will soon have lost the position com¬ 
pletely. By stopping the engine is meant throwing 
out the clutch; in many boats you can reverse, but 
be careful not to reverse on top of the unfortunate. 

Picking up a man overboard should be practised 
occasionally. We make it a point to jump over¬ 
board once in a while with no more notice than to 
give the shout “Man overboard!” It’s great fun in 
warm weather, but care must be taken to jump well 
clear of the propeller. 


Chapter VII 


INSTALLING AN ENGINE 

M OST men purchase their craft with the motor 
already installed. However, it will pay the 
sailboat man who wishes a ‘‘kicker” put in, 
unless he is a fairly good carpenter, to have it done 
for him. But if he is a good carpenter there is 
no reason why he should not do the work himself, 
with the exception, of course, of the boring, which 
is a delicate job at best and one in which a small 
mistake may ruin the whole boat. Every boat- 
owner, however, whether he does the work himself 
or has it done for him, should know for his ultimate 
satisfaction just where the engine had better be put 
to suit his own needs and also the material that 
should be used to turn out a lasting job. 

Before taking any definite steps toward buying an 
engine or a boat in which to put it—especially if it 
is to be a sailboat—see first that she is able to carry 
power and that the deadwoods are not bolted so as 
to prevent their being bored—unless you are not 
12 2 


Installing an Engine 


123 

averse to a piece being added as in the sketch, which 
makes not only a very good sleeve for the shaft to 
run in, but rather adds to than takes from the 
strength of the boat. See also that there is room for 
the engine in or under the cockpit where it will not 
block the entrance to the cabin and that the general 
construction of the hull is strong. 



The weight of an engine always becomes a large 
item in small boats such as dories and small power 
boats which go “putting” about in all sorts of 
weather. But if its dead weight is placed amidships 
it will allow the ends of the craft to rise and fall 
easily in a seaway, thereby making much for sea¬ 
worthiness and a dry boat. 

In boats of the runabout order it sometimes pays 
to place the motor forward, for in these speedy, fine 









124 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

weather craft the more level grading of the shaft 
thus obtained will mean a more direct drive to the 
craft, while the reduction in the pitch of the engine 
will provide a more even wear on the parts. 

In many motor craft the engine is placed in the 
cabin, but in small boats this is anything but de¬ 
sirable, for when the boat is in actual use the engine 
and the oil and gas odors and perhaps the one very 
husky fellow who goes down to attend to it occa¬ 
sionally are very apt to be the only occupants of the 
cabin. 

Perhaps one of the best places for the engine in 
boats of about twenty-six to thirty feet is under the. 
cockpit floor. A watertight bulkhead should be built 
across the after end of the cabin in order to prevent 
any leakage of gasoline from running forward along 
the bilge. The motor and gas tanks are thus kept 
absolutely isolated from the living quarters. 

The engine should be reached through a hatchway 
with a combing high enough to clear the top of the 
cylinder and to avoid the swash of any water—in 
case of its getting aboard—coming down on the 
engine before escaping through the self-bailing 
pipes. This hatch must be large enough to leave 
the motor easily accessible, and in cases where the 
fly-wheel does not project through a round hole into 
the cabin for cranking, it must leave room for a 
man to get down to do this job. At night the hatch 


Installing an Engine 


125 


may be raised for ventilation and when under way 
may be kept down to keep out spray and to deaden 
the sound. 

The motor bed. There are several parts of a boat 
in which solidity is the prime essential. I do not 
know, however, that in any one part is this more 
necessary to general comfort and the life of the 
boat than in the engine bed. An engine bed should 
be built in to stay; built in as part of the boat and 



This is a good style of bed. Note the long fore-and-aft tim¬ 
bers. See how they are notched to take the ribs and dis¬ 
tribute the thrust of the engine. 


not as a sort of platform on which the motor is to 
rest, for on the bed of your engine will come the 
most of the vibration and all the thrust which in the 
end surely measures the life of a motor-boat. Many 
a good sailboat converted into an auxiliary has been 
shaken into a rapid decline through the poor in¬ 
stallation of a motor, for really a sailboat with power 
installed needs in proportion to the power she car¬ 
ries a more solidly built engine bed than an out- 
and-out motor-boat. This is greatly due to the 

















126 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

weight and strain of the mast and spars in a seaway 
and of the ballast down below. The motor boatman 
when adding to his power and speed should give 
the motor bed careful attention. 

There is nothing in the least bit complicated about 
the bed here described and therefore no reason why 
any man handy with tools—and having the wood 



This is the plan for the thwartship pieces. They should reach 
well out to the sides of the boat, say to the first bilge string¬ 
ers. The firmer and more solid they are, the less will be 
the vibration, the more power you will get from your 
engine, and the longer the life of the boat. 


rough-trimmed at the mill—could not build it him¬ 
self. The boring for the shaft, however, should 
always be left to an expert, for a mistake here is 
not easily rectified and means eternal engine trouble. 

A piece of twine stretched from the center of the 
shaft hole outside, through the center of the hole 
inside the boat and continued till it reaches the en- 





Installing an Engine 


127 


gine bed, will give you your position for the center 
of the fly-wheel. The bed must be trued up by this 
twine line. It is only when the shaft is in place and 
the engine bolted down to the bed that you will be 
able to tell how exactly it has been installed. Then, 
by sliding the shaft up to the coupling it should run 



This diagram shows how the timbers set together, and the 
arrangement of the bolts. The wood should be of 2 Yi or 
3-inch oak; indeed, you can hardly build an engine bed 
too substantially. Set the thwartship- timbers in place first, 
and fix them firmly to the keel with lag-screws (LL), 
using either one Y or two J^-inch bolts, according to the 
width of the keel. At 1, 2, 3 and 4, lock the joints with 
lag-screws, the heads of which should be countersunk so 
that the engine may rest evenly on the bed, and sufficiently 
deep to allow of its being trimmed for truing up. You 
must be careful that you do not place the lag-screws where 
they will interfere with the bolts that hold the engine itself 
to the bed. If you countersink them deeply, so that the 
holes may be plugged, it will make a better-looking job. 
Bind the bed to the ribs with carriage bolts. 































128 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

smoothly in. If it does not do this the bed must be 
trimmed or raised a little where necessary with fine 
strips of metal. Always stay on the safe side and 
trim rather than raise if you can. Remember always 
that a boat changes her shape, and very often the 
line of her shafting, after she is put in the water. 
You should finish the job only after she is afloat. 

Gas tanks. See that your tanks are solid. Gaso¬ 
line will eat through a light galvanized tank in two 
or three seasons. It pays to have heavy galvanized 
tanks, riveted and well stayed inside with baffle 



plates to break the swash of the gasoline. Fix your 
tanks firmly in place, remember they represent con¬ 
siderable weight when full, and that this weight is 
increased greatly by the inertia of the moving con¬ 
tents when the boat rolls. A gas tank adrift on a 
dark night is a bad thing. 

Place the tanks so that the last drop of gasoline 
upon leaving may run down hill to the carburetor. 
Eight inches for the bottom of the tank to be above 
the carburetor or vaporizer will do very nicely. 













Installing an Engine 129 

By distributing the fuel in two tanks, one on 
either side of the boat, and placing these tanks as 
nearly abreast of the engine as is possible, a much 
more even supply is obtained. With the float feed 
carburetor this does not amount to such an important 
item, but with a vaporizer its effect is self-evident, 
for no matter whether the boat pitches or rolls, the 
pressure of gasoline will remain the same. There 
should be a slight tip in the piping that leads from 
the tanks to the engine, for in the lowest part of it 
dirt and water will surely settle, and it takes a very 
small particle of foreign matter in the needle valve 
to upset the feed and put the engine most mysteri¬ 
ously but most emphatically out of commission. 

These tanks are placed one on either side of the 
boat, possibly in the seat lockers in an open boat or 
under the deck abreast of the cockpit in a cabin 
boat. Petcocks are set close up to each tank so that 
either or both may be closed off entirely if desired. 
A glass gauge may be set in a protected part of the 
dip so that the gasoline may be inspected, while a 
small petcock let into the lowest part will enable 
you to draw off any foreign matter. 

Distribution of gasoline. It is always advisable 
to have gasoline divided among several tanks, the 
size and style of which must vary according to the 
style and use of the boat. Generally speaking, heavy 
forty-gallon cylindrical tanks are best for cruisers. 


130 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

For boats that do not make such long runs, and 
smaller craft, twenty-gallon tanks are large enough. 
Cylindrical tanks well fitted with baffle plates inside 
are possibly the best for storage. Tanks made from 
light, galvanized metal corrode rapidly. In antici¬ 
pation of an unexpected leak it is very necessary to 
have a cock fitted to them on the tank side of the 
union, while the tank itself should be easy to get at. 
In case of trouble disconnect and get it on deck. 
I would strongly urge only cylindrical or copper 
tanks in your cabin. 

Vent the tank. All tanks must be vented, either 
by a pinhole in the top, by unscrewing the cap a 
trifle, or by a small petcock; for gasoline cannot 
flow indefinitely from a tank unless air gets in to 
take its place. The effect on the engine would 
amount to the same thing as lack of gasoline. 

Position of the fuel supply. Another point in 
favor of having gasoline tanks near the engine is 
the fact that in case of a leak in the piping the whole 
installation is in front of the boatman and the trouble 
may be easily located, whereas if tank and engine 
are at different ends of the‘boat and there should 
happen to be trouble somewhere in the connections, 
you will not know of it till the whole bilge is flooded 
with gasoline. Moreover, you will have a magnifi¬ 
cent time locating the trouble. 

To take up vibration. A small coil or curve 


Installing an Engine 




should be let into the gas piping to take up the 
vibration. 

The idea of running the gas pipes along outside 
the hull so as to keep the gasoline well out of the 
cabin may accomplish the end in view, but in case 
of accident it is almost impossible to get at the seat 
of trouble, and should the boat run ashore there is 



Fig. 67 


always a fair show of having the pipe either ripped 
clean off or jammed in. 

Pump connections between the engine and the 
hull should have somewhere a small section of rub¬ 
ber piping. Unless this is done, the vibration from 
the engine will cause the planking to open up and 
leak. See Fig. 68. A very good way to make pipe 
connections in the hull, whether they be for pump, 
water faucet, gas overflow, exhaust or any other 
purpose, is to reinforce the planking with another 
piece of wood as shown. Then bore a hole just 
large enough to take the pipe. The end of the pipe 
must be so threaded as to take two nuts as shown 
in sketch, while the thread must extend just a little 














132 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

further along the pipe than the thickness of the 
planking. Nut No. 1 is screwed just far enough 
along the pipe to let the outer end fall flush with 
the hull, and by gouging out a gutter sufficiently 
large to take nut No. 2 the fixture may be firmly 
locked into place. The outside should then be filed 
and puttied so as to present a smooth surface. . 


Seiyo^ 

V \\ 

Seiji*) ^Rubber pipe 



Sea G>cK , 
trassNiplple 
=Wo ocllfe* irtorce m e n t 
* ^Outside odT Hull 

'“'Lock Hut (countersunk) 

Fig. 68 



A is the wood that reinforces the planking. Paint the con¬ 
tact sides of both with white lead, and screw firmly and 
snugly together with brass screws, arranged as in H. 
Then screw nut, B,, into position, and lock fixture into 
place with nut, C, which sets into the gutter, G. 


All connections below the water line should be 
fitted with a gate valve. 









Chapter VIII 


IGNITION 


JUMP SPARK, OR HIGH TENSION 



'HE jump spark system of ignition comprises 


in all batteries, coil, spark plug, timer, 


switch and the necessary high and low ten¬ 
sion wiring. 

In the ordinary high tension circuit the spark 
jumps a gap of about 1-32 of an inch at the plug. 
To accomplish this when the charge in the cylinder 
is under compression requires a voltage varying 
from 20,000 to 50,000. It is very evident therefore 
that the proper insulation of the wires carrying the 
high current should be carefully attended to. Prin¬ 
cipally they should not in any way come in contact 
with the iron of the engine nor be allowed to get 
damp, for a moving part of the engine coming in 
contact with the wire will soon wear through the 
insulation, and dampness of any sort—oil, gasoline 
or water—forms a splendid conductor for the cur¬ 
rent to run along and escape. 

It pays to buy the best insulation wire for a high 
tension circuit. Insulated wire for this purpose is 


134 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

covered with rubber about a quarter of an inch 
thick, over which is a silk or linen covering which 
has been subjected to a waterproofing process. This 
wire costs from ten to twenty cents per foot and 
you will require generally five or six feet for each 
cylinder. Wooden cleats, notched to take the wir¬ 
ing, may be screwed into the side of the boat, the 
seat lockers or wherever you wish to put them. 



In wiring up batteries, be careful to connect the opposite 
terminals 

Avoid carefully any place where water, oil or gaso¬ 
line may accumulate, for these hydrocarbons will 
soon rot the insulation. Avoid also any seat locker 
where the bilge water is liable to slop up and wet it. 

In an open type of boat it is a good idea to cover 
the wiring with a coat or two of shellac, as this will 
assist in preventing short circuits due to moisture, 
though it will perhaps fall down at just the worst 
place, viz., where the high tension wiring joins the 
spark plug; for if the plug becomes damp the cur- 







Ignition 


135 


rent has an opportunity to run over the outside of 
it. To overcome this you may hold an oilskin cap 
or an umbrella over the top of the engine, but per¬ 
haps the best way is to use a combined jump spark 
coil and plug. With this attachment the high ten¬ 
sion wires to the spark plugs are avoided, as the 
connections are made directly from coil to plug 
within a waterproof unit. 



Fig. 70 

Wiring for single cylinder jump spark with two sets of 
batteries 

The coil is the most expensive and the most in¬ 
tricate, the most delicate and the most interesting 
part of jump spark ignition. It should be kept where 
it will be away from all dampness or it will rust 
and corrode, and corrosion is fatal to its value. In 
some boats one of the seat lockers makes a very good 
place for the coil. If the bottom is inclined to be 
















136 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

damp, build a raised platform for the batteries and 
attach the coil to the side of the locker or bulkhead 
as in Fig. 75. 




Wiring for double cylinder Wiring for double cylinder 
jump spark, with two sets jump spark, with batteries 
of batteries and magneto 

The coil consists of two “windings” round a 
soft iron bar; the first or primary consisting of 
comparatively few turns of coarse wire, and the 
secondary having a great number of turns of very 
fine wire. The current from the batteries runs 
through the primary coil and in doing so induces a 
current of an entirely different nature in the second¬ 
ary winding, the voltage of which is in the same 
ratio of increase as the difference in the number of 
turns between the primary and secondary windings 
respectively. It is this secondary current that con¬ 
stitutes the “high tension” circuit. 



































Ignition 


137 


This high tension current can be induced in the 
secondary winding only when the primary current 
is constantly interrupted. It may be considered 
then that these interruptions cause the current to 
“back up” on itself, surging forward again with 
increased force each time the contact is made. 
Figure 73 H H shows the high tension wiring, 
wound over the primary P P, indicated by the heavy 



Fig. 73 

Construction of a jump spark coil 


and light zigzag lines respectively. The terminals 
of the secondary wiring are connected to the binding 
posts S S on top of the case. One lead of the 
primary winding is connected to the binding post 
P and the other to the metal block B on the end of 
the case. From this metal block there extends a 
steel spring having at the end of it a small round 
block of soft iron which is known as the armature 
A; it rests naturally just opposite the end of the 
























138 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

soft iron bar and very close to it. Spanning the 
spring is a brass yoke Y secured to the box by means 
of screws and drilled and tapped in the middle to 
take the contact screw F, which may be regulated 
and, when adjusted correctly, locked by the nut N. 
The point of the screw is usually platinum-tipped, 
another similar contact point being set in the spring 
to withstand the intense heat of the little spark that 
forms there. The two contact points at C are nor¬ 
mally pressed together by the strength of the spring. 

Now when the batteries are connected to binding 
posts PP a circuit will be formed from the post P 
to the yoke Y—with which it is connected by wire 
—and passing through the contact point C will pass 
through the metal block B and back through the pri¬ 
mary wiring of the coil to the post P2. In doing 
this it will accomplish two other things, namely: it 
will have induced a current in the secondary wiring 
and it will have magnetized the soft iron bar so as to 
have drawn the armature to it and thus separated 
the contact points and broken the circuit. Imme¬ 
diately the contact ceases, the magnetism in the bar 
vanishes, the armature reverts to contact again, the 
cycle of conditions being repeated. As is evident, 
this whole performance takes but a fraction of time 
—the one-hundredth part of a second—and it will 
be repeated just as long as the current is supplied 
from the posts P P. 


Ignition 


139 


Notwithstanding the fact that the contact points 
are of platinum, the vast number of vibrations and 
the intense heat to which they are subjected has 
proved that even they are not altogether invulner¬ 
able, and it will be found that after the coil has been 
used some time one of the contact points will have 
become pitted and the other appear to have taken 



Fig. 74 Fig. 75 

C is the condenser in a jump Showing an arrange- 

spark coil ment of wiring that 

leaves a maximum 
of clear space in an 
open boat. 

on a deposit. This is due to the fact that the current 
is always passing through the coil in one direction. 
If you reverse the wiring at the binding posts so 
as to have the negative wire where the positive was 
and vice versa the action will be reversed. Even 
then you must at times remove the vibrator and the 
thumb screw at the other contact point, and smooth 



















140 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

them down with a piece of fine emery paper. A 
faulty vibrator may cause any amount of trouble 
in your ignition system and it is more often the 
cause of a poor spark than weak batteries. 

When it comes to replacing the armature or vi¬ 
brator after cleaning you will have to be very care¬ 
ful, as the fraction of a turn in the wrong direction 
when adjusting the thumb screw will make a great 
difference in the nature of the spark and in the bat¬ 
tery consumption. A person used to a certain coil 
learns to distinguish the tone of the vibration, but 
unless you are thoroughly familiar with a coil the 
simplest and surest way is to use a very delicate 
ammeter. Set this in the circuit and regulate the 
thumb screw till you have obtained a good strong 
spark with an attendant consumption of less than 
half an ampere of current. 

Many of the better grades of coils have an ad¬ 
justment for regulating the tension of the vibrator 
spring; but this, as a rule, rarely needs to be 
changed. The thumb screw should be set so that the 
armature rests about 1-32 of an inch from the mag¬ 
net and the tension of the spring should be just 
strong enough to make it move back to its place 
immediately upon breaking contact. A set of weak 
batteries may be induced to prolong their term of 
efficiency, for a while, at least, by loosening the 
tension of the vibrator spring; but it must be set 


Ignition 


141 

back to normal when the new batteries are installed. 
Should you have an excessive sparking at the con¬ 
tact points, regulate the thumb screw and the tension 
of the spring until it is, as far as is possible, elimi¬ 
nated. A large spark at the gap of the contact 
points not only burns them out rapidly and wastes 
your batteries, but impairs the efficiency of the sec¬ 
ondary current. To assure a big, hot spark in the 
high tension circuit, it is absolutely necessary that 
the vibrations in the primary winding and wiring 
should die out rapidly. For this purpose a con¬ 
denser is made part of a spark coil, or has to be 
carried separately in cases where the combined spark 
coil and plug are used. 

A condenser is composed of a number of layers of 
tin-foil or other metal presenting the greatest sur¬ 
face in the least possible space, arranged as shown in 
the figure and insulated with layers of mica between. 
The effect of these sheets of metal is that which is 
known as the extra current, or, in other words, the 
current that flows through the circuit after contact 
is broken, due to self-inductance, which instead of 
jumping across the gap at the contact points and 
forming a spark, dissipates itself in them. 

The same cautions which apply to the wiring of 
a single cylinder motor hold good with marine en¬ 
gines having more than one cylinder. There are 
two ways, however, of arranging the additional 


142 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

ignition. One method is to use a separate coil for 
each cylinder, in which case the wiring may be ar¬ 
ranged as in Figs 71-72. The other way is by use 
of a distributor, in which case a single coil is made 



Fig. 76 

Arrangement of wiring with distributor 


to provide the spark for all cylinders. Of the two 
systems, the former is the one most commonly used, 
but in cases where the latter has been applied it has 



Jump spark wiring arranged for distributor, with double set 
of cells and magneto 

proved very successful and requires little more atten¬ 
tion than a single cylinder. The only fault to be 
found with this system is that the high tension 
wiring is somewhat more complicated by reason of 


batt eimes* 

































Ignition 


H 3 


the addition of the distributor, but provided you 
keep the timer thoroughly clean and well oiled, no 
trouble need be anticipated. The necessity for coil 
adjustments also is reduced to a minimum although 
the strain upon the coil is considerable. 

Either a magneto or storage batteries may take 
the place of the ordinary dry cells. They will ob¬ 
viate trouble in this direction and are generally con¬ 
sidered part of the equipment on the more expensive 
engines. 



Diagram showing circuit completed which induces 
the spark. In this system the circuit is completed 
by the segment L coming in contact with the re¬ 
volving arm of the timer E attached to the cam 
shaft O which rotates with each revolution of the 
wheel on a two-cycle engine. There is one of these 
segments L for each cylinder, O being grounded. 





















144 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

The circuit thus completed sends a high tension 
current through the wire H, which to complete its 
circuit to ground jumps the gap A and forms the 
spark that fires the charge. 



Fig. 79 

Wiring for make and break system of ignition 


MAKE AND BREAK OR LOW TENSION 
IGNITION 

The make and break system of ignition comprises 
batteries, coil, switch, spark plug and wiring ar¬ 
ranged as shown above. BBB are the batteries 
wired together as for jump spark, opposite poles 
connected; S the switch, C the coil, P the spark 
plug in the cylinder S and G the ground wire 
fastened anywhere to the metal of the engine. 

The coil is a primary spark coil, the principle of 
which is the passing of a fine copper wire a great 
number of times around a bundle of steel wires, the 

























Ignition 


H5 

current, in passing through this fine wire, multiply¬ 
ing its strength. 

The plug, though sometimes placed in the top of 
the cylinders, is more frequently made part of the 
igniter, as shown in drawing, and therefore set into 
the front of the engine, being, of course, insulated. 

The wiring is all of one kind, low tension, coated 
with paraffine to prevent short circuiting and waste 
of current. At the same time the voltage required 
to form a spark at the break of two points is so 
much less than that required to jump a gap that 
the current is not so eagerly looking for an easier 
road to travel than the right one, for which reason 
the make and break ignition is to be preferred for 
open boats with exposed engines where the wiring 
is liable to become damp. 

Batteries, dry cells. Use two sets preferably, to 
switch from one to the other, unless you have a 
magneto. The writer prefers sets of five large dry 
cells to a larger number of small' ones; they live 
longer. 

The Igniter. One form of sparking device for 
make and break or the low tension form is as fol¬ 
lows : Different manufacturers have their own pat¬ 
terns, which, although varying in detail, in principle 
are always the same. R is the rod which, operated 
by an eccentric attached to the crank shaft, rises with 
every revolution of the wheel on a two-cycle engine 


146 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

and with every other revolution on a four-cycle. 
At the same time the plunger rod P resting upon 
trigger T is raised. Trigger T is controlled by the 
timer A, which is set by the engine man to regulate 


A 



A make and break igniter. The small sketch to the right 
shows the points which are behind it and inside the 
cylinder 

the spark and thereby the speed of the motor. 
When T strikes A it draws the trigger from under 
P. When P is released it jumps the rocker arm R 
and incidentally the firing arm F inside the cylinder 
away from the point of the spark plug, thus break¬ 
ing the circuit and causing the spark. The plug S 










Ignition 


47 


is insulated, and wired back to batteries; the rest of 
the metal in the engine is grounded back to the 
batteries. 

Combined Jump Spark, Plug and Coil. For the 
open boat carrying jump spark ignition, there has 
been invented the combined jump spark, plug and 
coil. 

Its object is to do away with high tension wiring, 


Construction 





\ 




Fig. 8i 

of the combined jump spark coil and plug 


that part of the ignition system which from weather 
or spray so often gets wet and affords the current 
an easier method of getting back to ground (or 
short circuiting) than jumping the gap at the plug. 

In the combined spark plug and coil (Fig. 81) the 
low tension, or primary wiring, is wound round a 











148 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

soft iron core and the current, passing through it, 
induces the high tension current in the outer wind¬ 
ing. This high tension current is fed directly to the 
plug, which is part and parcel of the same package, 
the whole of which is absolutely waterproof. 



Fig. 82 

Wiring for multiple cylinder engine, with combined jump 
spark coil and plug. V is the vibrator, C the condenser, 
S the switch, M the magneto and B B B B the batteries 

A master vibrator, which breaks the primary 
circuit in order to create the waves referred to and 
explained earlier in this article, is carried separately 
as shown in diagram 82. The wiring attached to 
the terminals on the vibrator should be reversed 
from time to time so as to reverse the direction of 
the current and thus act evenly on the firing points. 





























Ignition 


149 


Combined spark coils and plugs may be fitted to 
one or more cylinders as shown, one master vibrator 
regulating the low tension current for them all. The 
current may be supplied from either magneto or 
storage batteries. 


Chapter IX 


HOW TO START AND RUN THE ENGINE— 
ITS TROUBLES—HOW TO CURE THEM 

Y O ho, my lads! We are about to start the 
engine. Of course we have given her a 
general inspection before dissipating our 
valuable strength on the fly-wheel; we’ve seen that 
there is oil in the cups, grease in the caps, that the 
water to feed the pumps is turned on and inci¬ 
dentally that there is gasoline in the tanks. 

Screw the grease caps down a couple of turns and 
let the oil feed fifteen drops to the minute, twenty 
if the engine is new. Throw in the switch and re¬ 
tard the spark, so that the explosion will take place 
when the piston is as near as possible to the top of 
the cylinder. Turn on the gasoline and partly open 
the throttle valve; the needle valve on the carburetor 
you should not have to touch, for when once ad¬ 
justed its work is finished as far as the ordinary 
starting and stopping of the engine are concerned. 

Open the petcock on top of the engine. If the 
cylinder is cold squirt in a little gasoline to prime it. 
iso 



Running the Engine 15 i 

Now swing the fly-wheel over in the direction 
which you wish the engine to run, letting go imme¬ 
diately the spark snaps. 

With the engine started, close the petcock on top 
of the cylinder, advance the spark and open up the 
gas throttle. 

Another way to start the engine, although calling 
for a little more dexterity in letting go of the wheel, 
is to leave the spark advanced as for ordinary run¬ 
ning and the petcock in the cylinder head closed after 
priming as in the other method; that is, if the cylin¬ 
der is not warm. 

Now with the throttle partly open swing the 
wheel a couple of times against compression, bring¬ 
ing it up to the sparking point in the opposite direc¬ 
tion from which it is to run, for when the spark 
snaps it will immediately rebound with the explosion 
and shoot off like a flash in the opposite direction. 

It is very necessary in accomplishing either of the 
aforesaid maneuvers to remember that you are start¬ 
ing a gasoline engine, and although a certain amount 
of strength must be exercised in swinging the wheel, 
your grip must be very light, so light that the 
handle slips easily from you at the first impulse of 
its own. It is through keeping a firm grip a little 
too long that the wrists get hurt. 

If the engine refuses to start after the wheel has 
been thrown over three or four times something is 


152 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

wrong; don’t waste your strength until you have 
found out what it is. 

First test the spark. To do this disconnect the 
end of the wiring from the spark plug, and with 



Names of parts of a jump spark engine 
the switch thrown in strike it against the metal of 
the cylinder—there should be a good, fat spark. 


With the piston down, strike the wire against 
the metal of the plug from which it has been dis¬ 
connected—there should be no spark. 



































































Running the Engine 153 

In the first act, if you do not get a spark, your 
circuit is broken—look for a disconnected wire. If 
you get a feeble spark, your batteries are prob¬ 
ably weak—test them, and, if they are, put in new 
ones. 

In the second act, if you do get a spark, you have 
a short circuit—look for it in the spark plug. If 
the mica is cracked put in another plug and don’t 
wrench the wrong nut when screwing the plug into 
the cylinder, for that is probably how the break 
occurred. If the plug is oil-soaked, take it out, dip 
it in gasoline and burn off, repeating the operation 
several times. Oil, water or carbon deposit in the 
cylinder may cause a short circuit—take the plug 
out, clean it off, using fine sandpaper or emery 
cloth, and washing off with kerosene or gasoline. 

A broken circuit may be caused by one of the 
wire ends getting adrift, from a staple biting 
through the insulation and thus causing a short 
circuit, or from a broken wire beneath the insula¬ 
tion. Wiring should never be led through lockers 
where the bilge water is liable to come up over it, 
nor along exposed parts of the boat where it may 
be wet by rain or spray. 

If you have difficulty in locating the section of the 
wiring wherein the trouble lies, take a piece of extra 
wire and connect to one end of your set of batteries; 
with .the other end start making connections. Touch 


154 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

the other end of your batteries first, then between 
batteries and coil, coil and engine, engine and switch 
(having the points in contact), and so on. As soon 
as you reach the section where there is no spark, 
there look for the trouble. 

Nine times out of ten the trouble with a gasoline 
engine is in the spark. 

If the spark is all right and the engine does not 
run, look to the gasoline; see that you have not for¬ 
gotten the cock next the tank, the vent on the top 
of it or the throttle to the carburetor. You might 
even make sure, if somebody other than yourself 
stopped the engine the last time, that they did not 
close the needle valve. The needle valve usually 
takes from one-half to one whole turn, and when 
once adjusted to harmonize with the air intake 
should be left alone, except when fuel is running 
low in the tanks and the pressure becomes very light; 
then it may be opened up a little to advantage. 

Water in the gasoline is caused by the tank sweat¬ 
ing. It may also come aboard with the gasoline. 
If you find this condition, drain off from base of 
carburetor or the separator which some attach to 
their fuel piping for this purpose. 

Water in the cylinder is quite a common malady. 
Boats having the end of their exhaust near the water 
are liable to dip it under when they roll, with the 
result that the muffler becomes flooded, and conse- 


Running the Engine 155 

quently when an attempt is made to start the engine 
the water is sucked up into the cylinder. 

Sometimes the water which exhausts from the 
jacket into the muffler is liable to be drawn back into 
the cylinder, especially if the motor does not start 
on the first crank. The best thing to do in this case 
is to close the pump down till the engine is started 
and possibly drain off some of the water from the 
jacket. 

No engine should be installed low, with the end 
of the exhaust near the water line, unless there is a 
bight in the pipe reaching above it. If water gets 
into your muffler or the dip of the exhaust so as to 
cause trouble, the easiest way out of it is to set a 
petcock in the lower side for draining off. Leave 
this open when away from the boat, unless she rolls 
so badly and you leave her for so long a time that 
the occasional trickle in at the bilge is liable to sink 
the boat. In such a case you should keep a wooden 
plug to cork into the exhaust. 

This reminds me of a certain craft we purchased 
a number of years ago. It was sold to us as undesir¬ 
able, but eventually turned out a big bargain. The 
engine ran magnificently when demonstrated in the 
yard, so we paid our money and had the boat put in 
the water during the week. We went aboard on a 
Saturday and cranked the engine. That was all we 
did that afternoon, knowing very little about engines 


156 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

in those days. The next morning, however, bright 
and early we started cranking again. Once or 
twice during the operation we did think that we had 
heard a muffled spark, and as it was a calm day, we 
had let go the mooring in case the engine started. 
By the time we finished cranking we found that we 
had propelled the boat all up and down the bay by 
hand power. 

At last, having grown very tired, we sat down, 
hot and angry, one on either side of the cabin, and 
began to think warm things about the engine, at the 
same time saying other things about a still warmer 
place. Suddenly we thought we detected a sloppy 
noise somewhere inside the cylinder; a gentle trick¬ 
ling of water as it were. We listened again and 
more eagerly; it was even so. But to reach the 
trouble it was necessary to get at the petcock under 
the cylinder; this engine had been installed mag¬ 
nificently. We, therefore, took the side plate off the 
base, and as we did so, out gushed water; the base 
was simply full of it. We turned the fly-wheel, 
and each time we did so, down came more; a sure 
demonstration to our minds that there must be either 
a crack somewhere in the cylinder, or a leak from 
the gasket to the top. We looked even more care¬ 
fully at the top and saw where it had been pounded 
with a hammer—deducting therefrom that someone 
had already suspected a leak here and tried in this 


Running the Engine 157 

novel manner to hammer the head on tight! Well, 
we thought it must be a crack in the cylinder walls, 
save that they were as smooth as glass and bright 
as silver from our exertions, and we had all but 
given up hope when we thought of that old muffler 
under the after deck. Disconnecting the water from 
the muffler we dried out the cylinder and tried again. 
You never have seen a better nor more obedient 
little engine. We had spent the most of our time 
pumping water into a worn-out water-cooled ex¬ 
haust and promptly drawing it back into the engine 
through the exhaust pipe. 

Study your engine, listen to the rhythm and power 
of the explosions and you will find after awhile that 
you will be able to detect even the slightest change in 
the time and strength of the explosions. When you 
are out under power, an ear and an eye to the ex¬ 
haust will tell you fairly well just what the engine 
is doing and give you fair warning when something 
needs attention. Your engine will develop little 
characteristics all its own, and if you are to get the 
best out of it these must be treated in their own 
special way. And there is really no man so qualified 
to do this as you, the man who watches its running 
from day to day. The gasoline expert may know 
how to tackle your engine in a general way, but it 
is up to the man who is always with it to get in the 
fine work, 


158 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Here, however, are the troubles that are common 
to all gasoline marine engines: 

Engine stops suddenly; trouble is invariably in 
the ignition (see Ignition). 

Slowing down, with a weak explosion; mixture 
too rich; try a little less gas in it. If the engine 
slows down, although the explosions retain their 
power, see if the timer has become shifted with the 
vibration, or perhaps the rocker arm in the cylinder 
worked loose. Look to the water cooling system 
and see that the cylinder is not overheated; how 
about your oil ? 

Slowing down, missing fire and stopping is often 
the result of weak batteries. This will bring itself 
more to your notice in that the engine will start up 
again if given a few minutes’ rest, as during that 
time the batteries have time to recuperate a bit. 
Try the ammeter on them. Occasionally for no ac¬ 
countable reason a set of batteries will run down 
with very little use. 

No spark, poor spark, misfire. Go over the wir¬ 
ing, see that the terminals are firmly connected, that 
the insulation has not been broken or worn off 
where the staples are driven; if the wiring gets wet 
at such a place as this it will short circuit. See that 
none of your connections is under water or wet with 
the boat’s rolling, and if this does not disclose the 
trouble feel along the insulation, particularly that 


Running the Engine 159 

of old wire, for a place where it might have be¬ 
come broken inside. The secondary wiring in jump 
spark ignition should never come in contact with 
any part of the engine. 

Poor spark. After putting in new batteries with 
a jump spark coil, a very hot spark may show at 
the vibrator and a weak spark at the plug. This is 
sometimes caused by poor connection between the 
condenser and the wire leading to the vibrator inside 
the coil. If, therefore, you do not find the trouble 
in poor wiring or the other possibilities referred to, 
send the coil to the manufacturers and have it fixed. 

If you have the jump spark and wish to see that 
your whole system is right, rest the plug on the 
cylinder with secondary and other wiring connec¬ 
tions made and then turn over the fly-wheel until 
the vibrator buzzes. A good spark should jump the 
gap. If it does not, clean the points with fine sand¬ 
paper and see that the space between them is one- 
sixteenth of an inch. 

You must remember, however, that a spark will 
jump a good deal further outside a cylinder than 
it will inside when under compression, so the spark 
that jumps the gap of one-sixteenth of an inch in¬ 
side the cylinder under compression would jump 
one-fourth of an inch if you tried it in the open 
air. So although a spark may jump the sixteenth 
when tested by the above method and thus prove 


160 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

that your connections are right, if your batteries 
are weak and she misses fire, you had better lessen 
the gap between the points—one-sixty-fourth will 
do at a pinch. 

Make and break spark, made as the points break 
contact, becomes weak if the points get coated. Too 
hot a spark in this form of ignition will burn the 
points out. These may be replaced. In some en¬ 
gines they are simply ordinary iron, in others they 
are of special metal with long-wearing qualities and 
are priced accordingly. 

Batteries should be connected so that the opposite 
terminals come in contact. See Fig. 69. 

If the connections are wrong you will be unable 
to get a spark. If the batteries are weak, run down 
or bad, the engine will miss fire and eventually stop 
as they give out. 

Remember that one bad battery in a set will sap 
the life of the others, for the electricity flows from 
one cell to another with a tendency to maintain an 
even distribution. So if one is wrong they will soon 
all be the same way. For this reason it pays to use 
an ammeter so that faulty cells may be detected and 
disposed of. New batteries should register twenty 
to thirty amperes or more. 

Weak batteries, if they should fail you when away 
from home, may be petted into service by being left 


Running the Engine 161 

to rest a while and then running the engine dead 
slow. 

An over-stiff vibration spring on a jump spark 
coil will cause the engine to miss fire before the 
batteries are really spent. You can expect service 
from batteries until they register down to six or 
eight amperes. Even after this, their period of use 
has not passed, for although low in amperage they 
still retain their normal voltage and can be used to 
furnish current for bells or to burn a light around 
the engine. 

A pocket ammeter pays; it is a little instrument 
resembling a watch, on which the hand registers 
readings up to thirty amperes. Systematic read¬ 
ings of your batteries aboard should be taken with 
it every week or so; this same ammeter will not 
do to test the vibrating coil referred to in the sec¬ 
tion on wiring; that requires one marked down to 
fractions of an ampere. 

Timing the spark. The timer should be so set 
that the spark occurs just before the piston reaches 
the top of the cylinder. This allows of the explosion 
reaching its maximum when the piston is at the top. 

In the make and break, the snap of the igniter 
indicates when the spark takes place. In the jump 
spark the buzzer on the vibration coil works. 

On a four cycle the terminals should separate 
just before the piston reaches the top. 


162 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Hard to turn over. If the engine has been run¬ 
ning smoothly but has now gradually slowed down 
and stopped, with possibly a few groans and 
squeaks, the trouble probably lies with burning 
either too much of an inferior engine oil or not 
enough of any kind. If you burn too much oil it 
will carbonize on the sides of the cylinder and plug, 
and squeak just as badly as though you were not 
feeding enough; it will jam the piston rings and 
impede the engine. If your engine is of the type 
which must have the cylinder raised from the base 
before you are able to get at the trouble, you will 
find it easiest to pour in a little kerosene. Then 
work the piston and so wash out. If the head of 
your piston comes off you will have little difficulty 
in reaching the trouble. 

If the cylinder has become very hot when the 
engine stops, see if you have been feeding oil, and 
look to the pumps. 

Should the engine have lain idle for some time, 
it is probable water has made its way into the cyl¬ 
inder and created rust. Open the drip cock under¬ 
neath and see what comes out. Pour kerosene into 
the cylinder head and rock. Follow this with engine 
oil until the wheel revolves freely. 

Badly carbonized, grimy or rusty piston and rings. 
Unship the cylinder or take off the top and dis¬ 
connect from crank pin so that piston will draw out 


Running the Engine 163 

—according to type of engine—and then take off 
each of the piston rings in the manner shown in 
Fig. 148. 

Using a nail which you have previously decapi¬ 
tated or a piece of wire, raise the end of the ring E. 
After slipping it under the ring, slide it round to 
the opposite side of the piston. Next insert another 
wire under the same ring and slide it round to 
B, and so on till you have raised the ring out 
of the groove and it can be slipped from the pis¬ 
ton. Do each ring the same way, starting with 
the inside. 

When removed, scrape both the rings and grooves, 
finishing with fine emery paper and washing off 
with oily waste. 

In putting the piston back in the cylinder the 
rings will catch the sides. To overcome this, use 
a piece of spun yarn or flexible wire as shown in 
Fig. 147. By taking a turn round the ring and pull¬ 
ing on the ends, the ring will be bound tightly into 
the groove in the piston and slide easily into the 
cylinder. 

Engine still hard to turn over; trouble is prob¬ 
ably in the alignment of engine. Uncouple from 
shaft and try. 

Tight bearing occurs frequently in an engine 
which turned easily before installing. It is caused 
by screwing a motor down on an uneven bed, and 


164 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

thus springing the base. This throws the crank- 
pin out of line with the piston and causes it to 
bind. 

Another form of tight bearing is caused by screw¬ 
ing the crank-pin too tightly through mistaking 
some other knock in the engine for a looseness of 
this part. 

Pounding. Look to the pin in your fly-wheel, 
try a little more gas, retard the spark a trifle. These 
are the usual causes, but occasionally the trouble 
will be a worn crank-pin bearing, worn wrist-pin 
or loose propeller. 

Explosions in the base , back-firing. Too weak 
a mixture, which burns so slowly that it ignites 
the incoming charge ancj fires back into the base; 
more gasoline is the cure. Jump the plunger on 
the carburetor a few times, or—even though I have 
already said that the needle valve needs no further 
adjustment, once it has been set—give it one turn 
more than it should really have. This will supply 
the necessary rich mixture to start those engines 
that are particularly susceptible to back-firing. You 
can readjust the needle valve when the engine is 
going. 

Explosions in the exhaust. Too rich a mixture 
which may miss-fire and be driven into the exhaust 
pipe by the next incoming charge: the fire of this 
latter when thrown into the exhaust will ignite it 


Running the Engine 165 

and so cause an explosion there. Ease down on 
the gasoline. 

Premature explosions — deep, heavy pound —are 
caused by having the spark too far advanced, or 
the cylinder becoming too hot, with the result that 
small pieces of carbon or projections inside become 
incandescent and fire the charge at the wrong time. 
Look to the spark first, and if this does not correct 
the trouble, wash the inside of the cylinder with 
kerosene or turpentine. 

Engine continuing to run after switch is taken 
out. A small piece of carbon or a projection inside 
the cylinder has become hot enough to fire the 
charge. This is one of the best proofs of the trouble 
referred to in the last paragraph and the cure is the 
same. 

Hot cylinder. Usually when the cylinder becomes 
overheated the trouble lies with the pump; see that 
no dirt, weed or other foreign matter has reached 
the valves, that the valves have not become worn 
and leaky from service, and, if the engine is old, 
that flakes of rust have not fallen down inside the 
water jacket and formed a bed of rust. Clogging 
of the valves is usually caused by not having a 
strainer on the intake end of the pump. Your 
cylinder may become overheated, too, from lack 
of oil, or too rich or too weak a gasoline mixture, 
which will throw off too much heat. 


166 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Engine explodes only on alternate revolutions. 
Too rich a mixture. Close down a little on the 
needle valve and open up on the air at the carburetor. 

Flooding. Some engines are much more suscep¬ 
tible to this than others, while many carburetors or 
vaporizers are given to doing it of their own accord. 
An engine may flood from the switch being drawn 
out, and the fly-wheel of its own momentum draw¬ 
ing in several charges of gas which accumulate in 
the base. The throttle valve on the carburetor may 
be left open and the gas cock between it and the 
tank likewise, so that the fuel continues to trickle 
into the base. I once had an engine with an old 
style carburetor that would flood immediately if 
the engine were not cranked and started as soon as 
the gas was fed. To a new operator it was always 
flooded and consequently always a mystery. To 
anyone who knew its peculiarity it was the best little 
engine on the sea. Flooding is also caused from 
imperfect setting of the needle valve, which may 
be worn or checked by a little piece of grit. 

To test for Hooding. If there is much gas in 
the mixture, you will probably smell it leaving the 
cock. With the spark on and engine primed you 
will have a very weak explosion, or perhaps none 
at all. To cure, turn on the drip cock under engine 
and turn over a few times till base is cleared out. 
If you cannot get at this cock, close the needle 


Running the Engine 167 

valve in carburetor, noting how far it is open. 
Crank the engine with the cocks open and the switch 
out. Having done this some six to a dozen times, 
put in the spark and throw the wheel over to see 
if you can get an explosion. No doubt you will 
have a somewhat muffled, choking symptom. But 
take heart, throw her over again and you will prob¬ 
ably be rewarded with two or three kicks. The 
next time you may be able to close down the cock 
and let her go on running till she back-fires and you 
know that the base is cleaned out. Now open up 
on the needle valve again—although not so much 
as before—and start up in the regular manner. 

Misfiring ( fourcycle). Skipping explosions; the 
valves may be worn or clogged, piston rings may 
have become clogged or leaky, spark plug may leak; 
inlet valve spring may also be weak, which will 
account for occasional popping noise in carburetor. 

Misfiring in general on all engines. Two ends 
of a wire making a hit and miss connection, or one 
of the ends working loose at the batteries, bind¬ 
ing posts, switch or engine may cause the trouble. 
Vibration and a boat’s rolling, it must be remem¬ 
bered, are very liable to loosen up connections. 

Other causes are: 

Too rich or too weak a mixture. 

Worn or sooty spark plugs. 

Slipping magneto wheel. 


168 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Water in the gasoline. It was not so very long 
ago that I remarked upon the fact that you would 
read more of water in the gasoline than you would 
actually come in contact with. This referred to 
water in the tanks, water that could be caught in 
a separator; it did not apply to the other ways in 
which water might mix in with the gasoline before 
it arrived in the firing chamber. 

Did you ever notice those tricky little drops of 
water that condense on your carburetor or vapor¬ 
izer? They are often drawn in with the inrush of 
air to such an extent as to cause any amount of 
trouble: as much as a tablespoonful of water may 
accumulate every half hour in the base of the car-, 
buretor in this way. Turn on the cock under your 
carburetor to see if this is your trouble and run 
off the water if it is. To remedy this in future 
screw a piece of pipe about a foot long into the air 
intake. 

Spray, mist, rain or the splash of the bilge is 
liable to be drawn in through the carburetor. Drain 
off as in the preceding paragraph. 

If you are cleaning with cotton waste around 
the engine while it is running, be careful not to pass 
the waste across the air intake; it is remarkable 
how quickly a piece can be drawn in. If your car¬ 
buretor is in a locker or the end of the afore- 
suggested pipe leads from one, see that no waste 


Running the Engine 169 

or other material that might get foul of it is kept 
there. 

Weak batteries cause misfiring (see Batteries). 

Oil. Use only the best gas engine cylinder oil: 
steam engine oil will not do. 

Gasoline. Changes of temperature will affect 
your gasoline feed. Warm air calls for less gaso¬ 
line, cold air for more. 

Make it part of your regular routine before start¬ 
ing upon any trip to see how much gasoline you 
have aboard. There are few places you will visit 
where you will be unable to renew the supply, at 
least on week days; but to discover that the tank is 
empty when you are not near one of these sources of 
supply may be anything but agreeable. 

A measure should be kept on hand. Make this 
from a piece of wood the first time your tank is 
empty. Pour in each gallon of gas separately, and 
as each goes in, take a depth on the stick and notch 
it. You will now have an accurate measure; use 
it regularly—it will repay you for the trouble many 
times over. 

How far the fuel will take you. When starting 
upon a trip, never reckon on just what your boat 
can do, but just what she is liable to do under those 
particular conditions; and even then, if these cir¬ 
cumstances are not favorable, keep well on the safe 


170 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

side, for a boat’s normal speed has very little to do 
with the case at times. 

There are two points which you should always 
ascertain; first, how much gasoline the engine con¬ 
sumes in a given time; and secondly, how far it will 
drive the boat while consuming that amount of 
gasoline. 

To do this, take two points, buoys or landmarks 
of any description which are marked on a chart, 
or between which you know the exact distance. 
Then, under weather conditions that you usually 
encounter, run from one to the other, with and 
against the tide. If you go over a triangular course 
you will get the wind and sea at all angles on the 
boat and thereby a more accurate test. 

Remember you are not doing this to show your 
speed nor to fool yourself nor anyone else into 
thinking that the boat can do one bit more than she 
actually does; this is merely solid information for 
your own use and to be remembered when the 
memory may mean much. 

When you have gone over this course, we will 
say for an hour, total up the distance, measure the 
gasoline left in the tank and subtract it from the 
amount with which you started—and there you have 
it: the distance you can reasonably expect to run 
on a given quantity of gasoline in a given amount 
of time. 


Running the Engine 171 

Bear in mind that this test covers normal con¬ 
ditions only, and in the average boat on the average 
trip the tides and sea are either with or against you. 
To realize the importance of the item, I refer you 
to my remarks on tides. 

Gas firing in muffler. If switch is cut off and 
gasoline left on, the unfired mixture being dis¬ 
charged into the exhaust is liable to be ignited there 
if the latter is very hot. 

Vaporizers. Too stiff a spring is liable to make 
it difficult to start the engine and is also liable to 
cause it to run slow after it is started. Too light a 
spring will allow the engine to become flooded very 
quickly if the fuel feed is not closed down imme¬ 
diately the motor is stopped. Indeed, with most 
vaporizers it is best to close down on the gas and 
then throw out the spark as it cleans the base out 
preparatory to starting up again. With a vaporizer 
the principle to follow is to feed less gasoline on 
low speeds, or the motor will slow down and stop. 

Regulating. When an engine refuses to run you 
can look to the ignition to find the cause; when it 
does not develop its full power you should look to 
the carburetor and timing of the spark. 

Carburetor troubles are caused by bad adjustment, 
too much or too little gasoline, too much or not 
enough air, dirt or water in the carburetor. From 
time to time the carburetor should be drained to 


172 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

remove any sediment, dirt or water that may collect 
in the base; you will see by referring to the draw¬ 
ings of carburetors how foreign matter of this kind 
is liable to settle here. 

Springs or valves may become loosened, broken 
or worn. 

Damp or cold weather will reduce the volatile 
quality of the gasoline, often reducing the power 
one-third or more. If you use your engine con¬ 
siderably in cold weather it may pay you to set an 
elbow in the exhaust and lead it close enough to the 
carburetor to get the warmth. 

An engine that runs well at high speed but is 
hard to start shows that it is being fed too weak a 
mixture. This is because the additional suction 
when the motor is speeded up draws in a larger 
charge of gasoline. Try closing down a trifle on 
the air valve, regulating the needle to suit both high 
and low speeds. 

DON’TS 

Don’t start the engine with a long painter between 
the boat and dinghey. 

Don’t start the engine ahead directly over the 
mooring you have just dropped. 

Don’t try to run the engine with the gasoline tank 
empty—it can’t be done. 


Running the Engine 


173 

Don’t crank the motor three or four times with¬ 
out first making sure that you have a good spark. 
No motor can run without a spark. Be sure your 
switches are in. 

Don’t run your engine without oil. Oil from the 
cups, grease from the caps and put a few drops on 
the moving bearings every half hour or so. This 
means the igniter parts, the pump eccentric, and 
so on. 

Don’t forget that two things make a motor go: 
a good spark and gasoline. Two more keep it go¬ 
ing: they are oil on the bearings and cool water in 
the jacket. 

Don’t flood the base of the motor with gasoline; 
too much is worse than not enough. 

Don’t start an engine which has a reverse gear or 
clutch without first setting it at neutral. 

Don’t screw up any bearing on an engine without 
remembering that you may wish to unscrew it again. 
Fittings should be screwed firmly into place, but not 
so firmly that they cannot be started again. This is 
particularly true of spark plugs. 

Don’t use the wrench on upper nut of spark plug 
when plug is in cylinder—you are liable to spoil it. 

Don’t place wiring where it may get wet. 

Don’t put your hands or face over the end of an 
open petcock when starting the engine—nor after 
it has started. 


174 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Don’t keep an engine running if knocking is 
heard. Find the trouble and rectify it. 

Don’t put a check valve between cylinder and 
vaporizer or carburetor on a three-port engine. 

Don’t try to start with carburetor throttle entirely 
closed or wide open. 

Don’t expect gasoline to run up hill. 

Don’t forget to shut off gasoline when not run¬ 
ning. 

Don’t forget to draw water out of the cylinder 
jacket in cold weather. A cracked cylinder would 
probably be the result should the water freeze in it. 

Don’t use too much gasoline; more power is de¬ 
rived from a smokeless mixture. 

Don’t stow your batteries where they are liable 
to get wet by the splash of the bilge water when 
rolling or where they will get the spray or other 
dampness; and don’t rest anything on top of them. 

Don’t have more turns in your exhaust pipe than 
necessary. Every quarter bend—that is, a ninety- 
degree L—takes up as much pressure as fifteen feet 
of straight piping. Two forty-five-degree L’s are 
preferable to one ninety. The back pressure is so 
great from certain exhaust and muffler installations 
that a baulky engine may sometimes be made to 
start if they are disconnected. 

Don’t reduce the size of any piping after leaving 
the engine. 


Running the Engine 175 

And don’t, please don’t, light a match to look for 
a gasoline leak; a pocket flash lamp is much better 
for quick-order engine and tank inspections. This 
may be a very foolish piece of advice even to suggest, 
but there are still about thirty-nine boats burned 
each year from just this very foolish cause. 


Chapter X 


RULES OF THE ROAD AT SEA 

T HE following “rules of the road for ves¬ 
sels at sea” is law, and law that is rigidly- 
enforced. 

Steam vessels. Any vessel is a steam vessel, 
within the meaning of these rules, if propelled by 
machinery. An auxiliary using sails only is classed 
as a sailing vessel, but if under power, whether using 
sail or not, she is classed as a steam vessel. All 
motor-boats are classed as steamers, regardless of 
size. 

Under way. A vessel is under way when she is 
not at anchor, made fast to the shore, or aground. 

Lights. The word “visible” as applied to lights 
shall mean visible on a dark night with a clear 
atmosphere. 

The rules concerning lights shall be complied with 
in all weathers from sunset to sunrise. 

A steam vessel under way shall show (a) In the 
fore part of the vessel, a white light so constructed 
as to throw an unbroken light over an arc of twenty 
176 


Rules of the Road at Sea 


177 



rules for preventing collision. The bearings for the port side 
are named on the same principle as for starboard. The 
weather and lee sides are dependent on the wind 











178 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

points of the compass, from right ahead to ten 
points on each side of the vessel. 

(b) On the starboard side a green light, so con¬ 
structed as to throw an unbroken light over an arc 
of ten points of the compass and so fixed as to throw 
the light from right ahead to two points abaft the 
beam on the starboard side. 

(c) On the port side a red light so constructed 
as to throw an unbroken light over an arc of ten 
points of the compass and so fixed as to throw the 
light from right ahead to two points abaft the beam 
on the port side. 

These lights must be fitted with screens so as not 
to be seen across the bow. 

You should also carry an additional white light 
aft of the first one and higher than it, so constructed 
as to be visible from all points of the horizon and so 
fixed that when seen from directly ahead the two 
lights shall be in a vertical line one with the other. 

The starboard side is the right hand side looking 
forward; the port side is the left hand side. One 
way to remember that red is the color for port is to 
think of the wine: then, of course, green must be 
starboard. 

Exception to the rules. When, in a boat of less 
than ten tons, through stress of weather the red and 
green lights cannot be fixed, they shall be kept ready 
to be shown in the proper manner, in sufficient time 


Ruels of the Road at Sea 


179 


to prevent collision. These portable lights shall be 
properly screened and painted on the outside with 
their respective colors. 

Anchor lights. At anchor a vessel shall show a 
clear white light visible from all points of the hori¬ 
zon. This light should be elevated well clear of the 
deck, but elevation must not exceed twenty feet in 
height unless the vessel is over 150 feet long. 

A vessel of 150 feet or more in length may carry 
one such white light not less than twenty nor more 
than forty feet above the hull, and at or near the 
stern of the vessel another such light at such a 
height that it shall be not less than fifteen feet lower 
than the forward light. 

A ferryboat carries in addition to her side lights, 
two central range lights, white, high up, in line with 
the keel and level with each other. 

Towing lights. A vessel towing carries in addi¬ 
tion to her side lights two white lights in a vertical 
line, one over the other, not less than six feet 
apart; and when towing more than one vessel 
carries an additional white light six feet above or 
below such lights, if the length of the tow exceeds 
600 feet. 

Such vessels may carry a small white light abaft 
the funnel or aftermast for the vessel towed to 
steer by, but it shall not be visible forward of the 
beam. 


180 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Lights on barges. One of the things that you 
must be very careful to avoid when running at night 
is a string of barges in tow. On the waters of the 
Hudson River or its tributaries; on New York Bay, 
inside Sandy Hook; on the East River; on Long 
Island Sound and the adjacent waters; on Narra- 
gansett Bay and its tributaries, or on Lake Cham¬ 
plain, the barges behind a tow boat each carry a 
white light forward and a white light aft. If the 
tow is a long one you will see the first and second 
vessels’ lights easily enough, but the tow lines are 
long and you must look carefully for the third and 
fourth, or maybe the fifth, sixth and even a seventh; 
indeed, look very carefully, and as long as you see 
white lights with any semblance of regularity, keep 
away; for to get foul of those hawsers means a 
hurried termination of your yachting career. On 
other waters than those just mentioned the vessels 
towed carry green and red lights, but keep a sharp 
lookout for anything behind a tow boat anywhere 
and allow a wide berth not only on going astern 
but keeping well clear of the yaw. 

Rafts and barges towed abreast show a light 
from each corner, and if the light on either side 
of the towing steamer is obscured by a barge, that 
light will be shown from the bridge. 

On waters governed by rules for the Great Lakes, 
a towing steamer carries, besides the red and the 


Rules of the Road at Sea 181 

green lights, an extra white light six feet above or 
below the forward white light. If the tow be a 
raft it will carry two white lights athwartship, not 
less than eight feet apart, and a small white light 
aft for the vessel towed to steer by. 

Sailing vessels when under way. Sailing vessels 
under way shall carry the same lights as are 
prescribed for steam vessels under way except for 
the white lights, which they shall never carry. A 
sailing vessel may, however, hang a white light 
over the stern or burn a flare-up to warn approach¬ 
ing vessels. Pilot vessels exhibit a white light at 
the masthead and burn a flare-up at intervals of 
not more than fifteen minutes. 

Rowing boats shall have lighted and ready to 
show in time to prevent collision, a lantern showing 
a white light. 

Visibility of lights. By the International Regu¬ 
lations, masthead lights have to be visible five miles 
and side lights at least two. The laws regulating 
the equipment for various sized motor craft state 
no specific distance that the lights must be visible, 
but give instead the size of the lenses to be used. 
But for your own protection, the brighter your 
lights burn the better. Exhibit no other lights that 
may be mistaken for the prescribed ones. 

Vessels employed laying cables, fishing, dredging, 
etc. Vessels employed laying cables, fishing, dredg- 


182 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

ing, etc., carry special lights, rigged in many dif¬ 
ferent ways, although they all mean the same thing: 
that the vessel showing them is unable to get out 
of the way and therefore you must do so. 

Fog signals. Fog signals shall be given by 
“steam vessels” on the whistle or siren, and by “sail¬ 
ing vessels” or “vessels towed” on the fog horn. 

A long blast shall be of four to six seconds’ dura¬ 
tion; a short blast shall mean a blast of about one 
second’s duration. 

A motor-boat, no matter how small, must be pro¬ 
vided with a whistle or siren, sounded by steam, 
or some substitute for steam, so placed that its 
sound will not be obstructed; and with an efficient 
fog horn, and with a bell. 

In fog, mist, falling snow or heavy rain storms, 
whether by day or by night, the following signals 
shall be given: 

A steam vessel under way shall sound at inter¬ 
vals of not more than two minutes a prolonged 
blast. 

A steam vessel under way but having her engines 
stopped (presumably on account of the fog) shall 
sound at intervals of not more than two minutes 
two prolonged blasts with an interval of about one 
second between them. 

A steam vessel towing another vessel shall sound 
at intervals of not more than two minutes one pro- 


Rules of the Road at Sea 183 

longed blast followed immediately by two short 
ones. A vessel towed may give the same signal. 

A sailing vessel shall give at intervals of not more 
than one minute, when on the starboard tack, one 
blast; when on the port tack, two blasts in succes¬ 
sion ; and with the wind abaft the beam, three blasts 
in succession. 

Rafts when under way must give one blast each 
minute on a fog horn or its equivalent. 

Vessels at anchor. A vessel at anchor shall at 
intervals of not more than one minute ring the bell 
rapidly for about five seconds. 

Fog signals for the Great Lakes. On the Great 
Lakes and waters governed by their rules, a steam 
vessel sounds, once a minute, three regular blasts. 
A vessel being towed sounds, once a minute, two 
bells, followed quickly by two more. A steamer 
towing a raft sounds a Modoc or screeching whistle 
once a minute. On waters running into the Gulf 
of Mexico a towing steamer sounds, in thick 
weather, three blasts in quick succession; and ves¬ 
sels lying to upon hearing the whistle of an ap¬ 
proaching vessel shall, if on the right bank, give 
one stroke of the bell, and if on the left bank give 
two strokes of the bell. This means the right bank 
when looking down the river. 

Speed in fog. Every vessel shall in thick weather 
proceed at a moderate speed. A steam vessel hear- 


184 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

ing apparently forward of her beam the fog signal 
of a vessel, the position of which is not ascertained, 
shall so far as the circumstances of the case admit 
stop her engines and navigate with caution until 
danger of collision is over. 

Sailing vessels 

When two sailing vessels are approaching one 
another, so as to involve risk of collision, one of 
. them shall keep out of the way of the other, as fol¬ 
lows, namely: 

(a) A vessel which is running free shall keep 
out of the way of a vessel which is close-hauled. 

(b) A vessel which is close-hauled on the port 
tack shall keep out of the way of a vessel which is 
close-hauled on the starboard tack. 

(c) When both are running free, with the wind 
on different sides, the vessel which has the wind 
on the port side shall keep out of the way of the 
other. 

(d) When both are running free, with the wind 
on the same side, the vessel which is to the wind¬ 
ward shall keep out of the way of the vessel which 
is to the leeward. 

(e) A vessel which has the wind aft shall keep 
out of the way of the other vessel. 

Steam vessels 

When two steam vessels are meeting end on, or 
nearly end on, so as to involve risk of collision, each 


Rules of the Road at Sea 185 

shall alter her course to starboard, so that each 
may pass on the port side of the other. 

This article only applies to cases where vessels 
are meeting end on, or nearly end on, in such a 
manner as to involve risk of collision, and does not 
apply to two vessels which must, if both keep on 
their respective courses, pass clear of each other. 

The only cases to which it does apply are when 
each of the two vessels is end on, or nearly end on, 
to the other; in other words, to cases in which, by 
day, each vessel sees the masts of the other in a 
line, or nearly in a line, with her own; and by night, 
to cases in which each vessel is in such a position 
as to see both the side-lights of the other. 

It does not apply by day to cases in which a 
vessel sees another ahead crossing her own course; 
or by night, to cases where the red light of one 
vessel is opposed to the red light of the other, or 
where the green light of one vessel is opposed to 
the green light of the other, or where a red light 
without a green light, or a green light without a 
red light, is seen ahead, or where both green and 
red lights are seen anywhere but ahead. 

Two steam vessels crossing 

When two steam vessels are crossing, so as to 
involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the 
other on her own starboard side shall keep out of 
the way of the other. 


186 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Steam vessel shall keep out of way of sailing vessel 
When a steam vessel and a sailing vessel are pro¬ 
ceeding in such directions as to involve risk of col¬ 
lision, the steam vessel shall keep out of the way 
of the sailing vessel. 

Course and speed 

Where, by any of these rules, one of two vessels 
is to keep out of the way the other shall keep her 
course and speed. 

Note — When, in consequence of thick weather or 
other causes, such vessel finds herself so close that 
collision cannot he avoided by the action of the 
giving-way vessel alone, she also shall take such 
action as will best aid to avert collision. (See 
articles on General Prudence and Precaution.) 

Crossing ahead 

Every vessel which is directed by these rules to 
keep out of the way of another vessel shall, if the 
circumstances of the case admit, avoid crossing 
ahead of the other. 

Steam vessel shall slacken speed or stop 

Every steam vessel which is directed by these 
rules to keep out of the way of another vessel shall, 
on approaching her, if necessary, slacken her speed 
or stop or reverse. 

Overtaking vessels 

Notwithstanding anything contained in these 


Rules of the Road at Sea 187 

rules every vessel, overtaking any other, shall keep 
out of the way of the overtaken vessel. 

Every vessel coming up with another vessel from 
any direction more than two points abaft her beam, 
that is, in such a position, with reference to the 
vessel which she is overtaking, that at night she 
would be unable to see either of that vessel’s side¬ 
lights, shall be deemed to be an overtaking vessel; 
and no subsequent alteration of the bearing between 
the two vessels shall make the overtaking vessel a 
crossing vessel within the meaning of these rules, 
or relieve her of the duty of keeping clear of the 
overtaken vessel until she is finally past and clear. 

As by day the overtaking vessel cannot always 
know with certainty whether she is forward of or 
abaft this direction from the other vessel she should, 
if in doubt, assume that she is an overtaking vessel 
and keep out of the way. 

Narrow channels 

In narrow channels every steam vessel shall, when 
it is safe and practicable, keep to that side of the 
fairway or mid-channel which lies on the starboard 
side of such vessel. 

Rights of way of fishing vessels 

Sailing vessels under way shall keep out of the 
way of sailing vessels or boats fishing with nets, 
or lines, or trawls. This rule shall not give to any 
vessel or boat engaged in fishing the right of ob- 


188 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

structing a fairway used by vessels other than fish¬ 
ing vessels or boats 
General prudential rule 

In obeying and construing these rules due regard 
shall be had to all dangers of navigation and colli¬ 
sion, and to any special circumstances which may 
render a departure from the above rules necessary 
in order to avoid immediate danger. 

Sound signals for passing steamers 

The words “short blast” used in this article shall 
mean a blast of about one second’s duration. 

When vessels are in sight of one another, a steam 
vessel under way, in taking any course authorized 
or required by these rules, shall indicate that course 
by the following signals on her whistle or siren, 
namely: 

One short blast to mean, “I am directing my 
course to starboard.” 

Two short blasts to mean, “I am directing my 
course to port.” 

Three short blasts to mean, “My engines are go¬ 
ing at full speed astern.” 

Precaution 

Nothing in these rules shall exonerate any vessel, 
or the owner or master or crew thereof, from the 
consequences of any neglect to carry lights or sig¬ 
nals, or of any neglect to keep a proper lookout, or 
of the neglect of any precaution which may be re- 


Rules of the Road at Sea 189 

quired by the ordinary practice of seamen, or by 
the special circumstances of the case. 

Distress signals 

When a vessel is in distress and requires assist¬ 
ance from other vessels or from the shore the fol¬ 
lowing shall be the signals to be used or displayed 
by her, either together or separately, namely: 

In the daytime— 

First. A gun or other explosive signal fired at 
intervals of about a minute. 

Second. The international code signal of distress 
indicated by N C. 

Third. The distance signal, consisting of a 
square flag, having either above or below it a ball 
or anything resembling a ball. 

Fourth. A continuous sounding with any fog- 
signal apparatus. 

At night— 

First. A gun or other explosive signal fired at 
intervals of about a minute. 

Second. Flames on the vessel (as from a burn¬ 
ing tar barrel, oil barrel, and so forth). 

Third. Rockets or shells throwing stars of any 
color or description, fired one at a time, at short 
intervals. 

Fourth. A continuous sounding with any fog- 
signal apparatus. 


190 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

EQUIPMENT NECESSARY TO PASS THE 
U. S. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS FOR 
MOTOR-BOATS 

The equipment given herewith for each of the 
three classes of motor-boats, which covers every size 
from the smallest to a sixty-five footer, will repay 
your careful attention, for it appertains not only 
to Government requirements but to your own per¬ 
sonal ease of mind and safety. 

CLASS I 

POWER BOATS UNDER 26 FEET OVER ALL 

i Two-way light (red and green). 

1 Range light (white). 

1 Whistle or signal capable of a blast of two seconds’ duration. 
1 Effective fire extinguisher. 

1 Life preserver for each person on board. 

2 Copies Pilot Rules. 

CLASS II 

POWER BOATS 26 FEET OVER ALL AND LESS THAN 40 FEET OVER ALL 

i Bow light (white), Fresnal lens, of not less than 19 square 
inches area. 

1 Port light (red), Fresnal lens, of not less than 16 square 
inches area. 

1 Starboard light (green), Fresnal lens, of not less than 16 
square inches area. 

1 Range light (white), Fresnal lens, to show all around 
horizon. 

1 Screen for port light, not less than 18 inches in length. 


Rules of the Road at Sea 191 

1 Screen for starboard light, not less than 18 inches in length. 
1 Whistle or signal, capable of a blast of two seconds’ dura¬ 
tion. 

1 Effective fog bell. 

1 Fog horn. 

1 Effective fire extinguisher. 

1 Life preserver for each person on board. 

2 Copies Pilot Rules. 

CLASS III 

POWER BOATS 40 FEET OR OVER AND NOT MORE THAN 65 FEET 
OVER ALL 

I Bow light (white), Fresnal lens, of not less than 31 square 
inches area. 

1 Port light (red), Fresnal lens, of not less than 25 square 
inches area. 

1 Starboard light (green), Fresnal lens, of not less than 25 
square inches area. 

1 Range light (white), Fresnal lens, to show all around 
horizon. 

1 Screen for port light, not less than 24 inches in length. 

1 Screen for starboard light, not less than 24 inches in length. 
1 Whistle or signal, capable of a blast of two seconds’ dura¬ 
tion. 

1 Fog bell, 8 inches diameter at mouth. 

1 Fog horn. 

1 Effective fire extinguisher. 

1 Life preserver for each person on board. 

2 Copies Pilot Rules. 

Navigable canals. Showing the length, depth and 
the number of locks of the principal canals in the 
Eastern United States and part of those that form 
the route to St. Louis, Mo.: 


192 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Nav. 



Lth., 

No. 

dph., 


Canals 

miles 

locks 

ft. 

Location 

Albemarle & Chesapeake 

44 

1 

7 ^ 

Norfolk, Va., to 
Currituck S’d, 
N. C. 

Augusta . 

9 

• • 

11 

Savannah River, 
Ga., to Augus¬ 
ta, Ga. 

Black River. 

35 

109 

4 

Rome, N. Y., to 
Lyons Falls, 
N. Y. 

Cayuga & Seneca. 

25 

11 

7 

Montezuma, N. 
Y., to Cayuga 
and Seneca 

Lakes, N. Y. 

Champlain. 

81 

32 

6 

Whitehall, N. Y., 
to West Troy, 
N. Y. 

Chesapeake & Delaware. 

14 

3 

9 

Chesap’ke City, 
Md., to Del. 
City, Del. 

Chesapeake & Ohio. 

184 

73 

6 

Cumb’land, Md., 
to Wash., D.C. 

Delaware & Raritan.... 

66 

14 

7 

New Brunswick, 
N. J., to Tren¬ 
ton, N. J. 

Delaware Division. 

60 

33 

6 

Easton, Pa., to 
Bristol, Pa. 

Dismal Swamp. 

22 

7 

6 

Con. Chesp. Bay 
& Al’marle Sd. 

Erie. 

387 

72 

7 

Albany, N. Y., to 
Buffalo, N. Y. 

Fairfield . 

4 A 

None 

* * 

Alligator R. to 
Lake Matti- 
muskeet, N. C. 











Rules of the Road at Sea 


193 


Nav. 



Lth., 

No. 

dpth., 

Canals 

miles 

locks 

ft. 

Location 

Illinois & Michigan. 

102 

15 

6 

Chicago, Ill., to 
LaSalle, Ill. 

Illinois & Mississippi.... 

454 

* * 

7 

Ar’nd lower rap¬ 
ids of Rock 
River, Ill. 

Lehigh Coal & Nav. Co. 

108 

57 

6 

Coalport, Pa., to 
Easton, Pa. 

Louisville & Portland. .. 


2 

•• 

At Falls, Ohio 
R., L’ville, Ky. 

Miami & Erie. 

274 

93 

5 l A 

Cincinnati, 0 ., to 
Toledo, O. 

Morris. 

103 

33 

5 

Easton, Pa., to 
Jy. City, N. J. 

Newberne & Beaufort... 

3 

None 


Clubfoot Ck. to 
Harlow Creek, 
N. C. 

Ogeechee . 

16 

5 

3 

Savannah River, 
Ga., to Ogee¬ 
chee R., Ga. 

Ohio. 

317 

150 

4 

Cleveland, O., to 
Portsm’th, O. 

Oswego. 

38 

18 

7 

Oswego, N.Y., to 
Syracuse, N.Y. 

Pennsylvania. 

193 

7 i 

6 

C’lu’bia,N’thum- 
berl’d, Wilkes- 
barre, Hunt¬ 
ington, Pa. 

Santa Fe. 

10 


5 

Waldo, Fla., to 
Melrose, Fla. 

Schuylkill Nav. Co. 

108 

7 i 

6 J 4 

Mill Ck., Pa., to 


Phila., Pa. 











194 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Nav. 



Lth., 

No. 

dpth., 


Canals 

miles 

locks 

ft. 

Location 

Susq’hanna & Tidewater 

45 

32 

5 H 

Columbia, Pa., 
to Havre de 
Grace, Md. 

Walhonding . 

25 

11 

4 

Rochester, O., to 
Roscoe, 0 . 

Welland (ship canal).. 

26)4 

55 

14 

Con. Lake Ont. 
and Lake Erie. 



Chapter XI 


NAUTICAL ASTRONOMY 

(Being a chapter devoted to foretelling weather by 
the phenomena that control it.) 

L EARN to forecast weather, by all means, but 
do not pose as a weather prophet, for it is 
an uncertain business. Even the Weather 
Bureau is wrong at times; not that it would be wrong 
if conditions did not change, but the fact remains 
that they do. Therefore if you keep your prophe¬ 
cies to yourself you can change them with condi¬ 
tions, and you will find the general signs given by 
the sky, the sea and the barometer an unending 
source of interest and benefit. 

CLOUDS 

It has often been said that the study of clouds is 
one of the most important elements necessary for 
the successful forecasting of coming weather, for 
clouds suggest the state of atmospheric conditions 
i9S 


196 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

and the general causes which produce these condi¬ 
tions. Indeed, clouds are the visible indication of 
the operation of these forces just as the countenance 
is of a person’s body and mind. 

Clouds are generally divided into seven classes, 
though some writers have subdivided them again 
into nine. They may, however, all be put under 
two types, viz.: Cumulus, or heap type, and Stratus, 
or sheet type. But as each of the original seven 
classes has its own particular meaning in forecast¬ 
ing the weather, even though the type must be either 
Stratus or Cumulus in some stage of combination 
or condition, we will study them separately. 

Cirrus clouds are those which have the greatest 
elevation and variety of extent, with least density. 
They are the earliest indications of a change after 
a period of fair, settled weather, and are a reason¬ 
ably sure sign that less favorable conditions are at 
hand. 

With the approach of cirrus clouds there will at 
first appear a few threads, “penciled” as it were, on 
the sky. These increase in length, and new ones 
are added laterally, resulting in long white wisps 
streaking across the sky—commonly called “mares’ 
tails.” 

Owing to their great height, cirrus clouds, though 
often in fairly rapid motion, seem to be moving 
more slowly than clouds of other formations. It is 


Thunder heads of cumulus, under which may be seen the 
“rain curtain/’ or nimbus, with squall clouds below 



The sky at the commencement of a heavy westerly gale 














Nautical Astronomy 


197 


fairly certain that cirrus clouds are formed of small 
ice particles, explaining their ability to produce halo 
effects and other optical phenomena. Therefore, a 
halo round the moon means really the arrival of the 
cirrus cloud and foretells wind or, as we have just 
said, less favorable conditions. 

In fair weather the sky is seldom quite free from 
small groups of oblique cirrus, while continued wet 
weather is attended by horizontal sheets, subsiding 
quickly and passing to the cirro-stratus form. In 
observing these clouds it should be noted whether 
they are developed in any particular region of the 
sky rather than another, as well as the relation be¬ 
tween their longitudinal extension and the direction 
in which they are moving. They often form in the 
opposite quarter to that from which the storm may 
be expected. 

The Cirro-cumulus is also a lofty cloud, though 
usually less high than the cirrus. It differs from 
the latter in being of a more rounded form, con¬ 
sisting usually of small detached masses, sometimes 
compared to a flock of sheep lying down or the 
markings on the back of a mackerel, whence the 
names “sheep’s fleece” and “mackerel back.” 

This form is frequently seen in summer during 
warm, dry weather, and occasionally in intervals 
between showers or before thunder-storms, when 


198 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

very dense and compact masses in close contact are 
often visible. 

The Cumulus cloud formation is the result of an 
ascending current of air whose vapor is rapidly con¬ 
densed; it is the most dense type of cloud formed 
in the lower atmosphere. The lower surface is 
roughly plane, but the upper surface rises in great 
round heaps which sometimes repeat themselves in 
about the same bulk or rise rapidly to tremendous 
proportions. If remaining unchanged in size they 
are usually numerous and close together; when 
larger they are fewer and farther apart. Cumulus 
clouds begin to form some hours after sunrise, ar¬ 
rive at their maximum size during the afternoon— 
at the hottest time of the day—and then diminish, 
totally disappearing toward sunset. If they should 
increase rapidly in size, sink downwards and do 
not disappear in the evening, rain may be expected. 
The formation of large cumuli to leeward in a 
strong wind indicates the approach of calm with 
rain; if they do not subside, but continue to rise 
toward sunset, thunder is to be expected in the night. 
In winter time the appearance of cumulus in the 
south after a fine day often indicates the approach 
of snow. 

The Stratus is a cloud-bank lying in horizontal 
layers or strata, whence the name. It may be con¬ 
sidered as the night cloud, since it owes its origin 


Nautical Astronomy 


199 


to the evening mists and grows denser during the 
night, dissipating again towards morning. The air 
being tolerably still and the mass of atmosphere 
cooling gradually, some stratum will arrive at the 
dew point temperature, the moisture being con¬ 
densed into cloud. The pure stratus cloud is an 
accompaniment of fine weather, and if stratus at 
night be followed by diffused fog in the morning 
we may expect settled weather. 

The Cirro-stratus, best described by the accom¬ 
panying illustration, is in construction thickest in 
the middle and thinnest toward the edges. This 
form of cloud often precedes wind and rain; the 
nearer or more distant approach of which may 
sometimes be inferred by the greater or less per¬ 
manence of these clouds. Owing to the great 
spread but little thickness of this cloud, the sun 
or moon surrounded by a halo may often be seen 
shining through it, so that the appearance of these 
phenomena is very often regarded as a sign of 
approaching foul weather. 

The Cumnlo-stratus is that stage in clouddom 
when a cumulus cloud passes gradually into nimbus 
form. It is usually a forerunner of rain or snow, 
according to the season of the year. 

The Nimbus cloud is a name loosely given to any 
kind of cloud from which rain falls. Two types 
might be generally considered: the cumulo-nimbus 


200 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

or squall cloud, and the pure nimbus. The latter 
is a flatter cloud, more like heavy strato-cumulus, 
that forms under or from cirro-stratus. The main 
reason for placing the nimbus in a class by itself is 
the fact that a striking change comes over the upper 
surface of a cloud immediately rain begins to fall. 
The change is possibly associated with the discharge 
of electricity at the moment of precipitation. 

In addition to these principal varieties, a number 
of minor forms, some of which are of importance 
in judging coming weather, may be distinguished. 
Sometimes before the approach of a cyclone a blue 
sky becomes white, then gray, even a yellow, green- 
gray, and a drizzling rain falls without the forma¬ 
tion of any true cloud form. 

A cyclone also may arrive in the form of a long, 
funnel-shaped black cloud. 

Small detached clouds seen in rapid motion under 
any mass of cloud just before rain are called “scud.” 
Before the advent of squalls and thunder-storms, 
there is sometimes seen a long roll of narrow black 
clouds in rapid motion; this form goes by the name 
of “cloud wreaths.” 

Motion of clouds 

Low-lying clouds usually move in the same direc¬ 
tion as the wind felt on the water, except off high 
bluffs or near a mountainous coast, when the lower 
wind currents may be deflected a number of ways. 


When cumulus clouds do not disappear toward sunset, but in¬ 
crease in size, thunder and rain may be expected in the night 



Cumulo-stratus, a compound of cirro-stratus, may be re¬ 
garded as the cumulus cloud passing to the nimbus form. 
Above may be seen the long, lean cirro-stratus clouds, 
and across the patch of bright sky floats the “scud,” or 
cumulo-stratus 

















































. 











Nautical Astronomy 


201 


As you look up through the various cloud forma¬ 
tions you may note the higher ones taking a differ¬ 
ent direction from those below them. According 
to the pronounced strength of their going, combined 
with lulls in the wind you are at that moment ex¬ 
periencing, you may expect a change of wind from 
the same direction. 

Having studied the outward and visible signs we 
will now turn our attention to the barometer, which 
measures atmospheric pressure; and the thermom¬ 
eter, which measures the temperature of that atmos¬ 
phere. 

ANEROID BAROMETER 

The common and well-known aneroid barometer 
is an instrument in which the atmospheric pressure 
is measured by its effect upon the top of a metal 
box from which part of the air has been removed. 

The top of the box is corrugated so as to yield 
more easily to atmospheric changes, and a pillar 
is set therein which is connected with a powerful 
spring that prevents the box from collapsing. The 
variations in pressure that cause it to rise and fall 
are transferred to a hand which moves on a dial, 
similar to a clock face, and which is marked to be 
read in inches and tenths of inches; these numbers 
corresponding to the heights that would be read in 
a mercurial barometer. 


202 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Aneroids are more sensitive to changes than mer¬ 
curial barometers, which fact makes them very 
adaptable to the boating man, though they are not 
so valuable from a scientific standpoint, for they 
are sometimes affected by changes in temperature, 
and should be corrected occasionally. 

Barometer readings may be summarized thus: 
The barometer will rise for cold, dry and northerly 
winds or for less wind; it will fall for warm, wet and 
southerly winds and for more wind. These are the 
simplest of rules for practical use, though Dr. 
Schrieber of Leipzig has shown that these combina¬ 
tions do not necessarily follow and that wind direc¬ 
tion and barometric pressure are probably more 
complex functions of general weather conditions. 
The warmest currents are usually the dampest, and 
the relative humidity and probability of rain are, 
roughly speaking, inversely as barometric pressure. 
Thus we have the usual relation between a higher 
rising barometer and fine weather and falling barom¬ 
eter with rain and wind; the fall being greater for 
high winds than for heavy rains. Generally a rise 
of the barometer is accompanied by a fall of the 
thermometer, and vice versa, but when a simultane¬ 
ous rise of both instruments occurs it may be taken 
as a sure sign of steady fine weather. 

The difference between weather conditions as 
foretold by the slow or rapid movements of the 


Nautical Astronomy 203 

barometer are well expressed in the following 
couplet: 

“Long foretold, long last; 

Short notice, soon past.” 

A rapid rise or alternate rising and falling indi¬ 
cates unsettled weather conditions, while a gradual 
rise foretells fine weather, and a gradual fall during 



Fig. 85 

Wind should shift with the sun. That is, clockwise, in the 
Northern Hemisphere 

fine weather is a promise of a spell of continued bad 
weather. With regard to the amount of rise or fall 
of the barometer in a given time, it may safely be 
said that a fall of one-tenth of an inch in an hour, 
or three-tenths of an inch within three hours, is 
a sure sign of coming storm. 

So with the visible indications marked on the 
sky and the invisible indications registered by the 



204 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

barometer, aided by the thermometer, you may, with 
practice, become a marvelously lucky man in the 
eyes of your friends, and a happy man yourself, 
in picking out just the right days to do the right 
things. 

THE LAW OF STORMS 

Although the wind should veer with the sun— 
that is, shift around clockwise—in the northern 
hemisphere, you will find the exception with a north¬ 
easter, which invariably backs to the northward and 
dies out in a northerly gale. Such a storm may 
blow for several days, diminishing and again in¬ 
creasing in force before changing in direction, the 
barometer standing steadily about 29.90. 

Easterly gales, on the other hand, start with a 
high barometer which falls as the wind increases. 
These storms usually shift around to the south and 
westward, forewarning of such shifts in direction 
being predicted by a rapid fall of the barometer. 

West and WNW gales are foretold by a very 
low glass. 

Northwesterly gales are the reverse of north¬ 
easterly. These strike “butt end” first and then 
gradually ease up. They are of short duration and 
are foretold by a rapid fall and rise of the barometer. 

Southeasterly gales seldom blow for more than 
twelve hours. They are heaviest at night. 


Nautical Astronomy 


205 

Local weather to he expected in New York and 

vicinity 

Herewith are set forth predominating conditions, 
but not the law. 

A southerly wind coming in from the sea may 
be expected daily in New York’s local waters dur¬ 
ing the summer months. This wind starts up with 
wonderful regularity about noon, freshens till about 
two, blows as though it were good for three days 
till about five, and then dies with the setting sun. 
The sailing man who has to combat an ebb tide 
should take particular note of this fact, unless he 
does not particularly care when he reaches home. 

When the wind settles in the northeast to east, 
look for rain and bad weather for two or three days. 

From the northwest come the heavy squalls that 
call for a good mooring once or twice in June and 
again at the end of the year if you moor in Graves¬ 
end Bay; for the saying goes, “When you see it 
banking up black over the hill on Staten Island, 
look out!” 

The southeaster is the wind that does the damage 
along the northern shores of Long Island Sound. 

Northeasterly winds blow a good deal during the 
early part of the season. They are very treacherous 
on account of their severe gustiness, and the sailing 
man must ever keep his weather eye open. 

Bleak weather and high winds may be expected 


206 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

from September tenth to the twenty-second, but 
after that it settles down again to generally fine 
weather till the end of October. This is proved 
one season after another, yet at the first of the cool 
spell in September half the boats prepare to haul out 
and so miss one of the finest months in the year. 

WEATHER SIGNS 

Heavy dew is a sign of southerly wind. 

Phosphorus in the water at night is a sign of 
southerly wind. 

A warm, soft, oily ripple in the water is a sign 
of southerly wind. 

A hard, crisp snap in the wave crests suggests 
northerly winds. 

A nautilus, or “Portuguese man-o’-war,” seen 
floating with its sail up is a sign of fine weather 
and no wind. I do not remember seeing any of 
these, however, out of tropical or semi-tropical 
waters. 

When the sea birds fly inshore, look out; a storm 
is coming. 

When outside in a heavy blow and you see the 
gulls commence to rest on the water you may know 
that it will soon be over. 

“The evening red, and the morning gray, 

Are the signs of a beautiful day,” 



A fine-weather sunrise. Alto-stratus in horizontal layers flecks 
across the sky, and the sun is slightly veiled by diffused 
fog. A rift through the clouds suggests a breeze later on 



Cirro-cumulus, or wool-pack cloud. Below the cirro-cumulus 
may be seen the stratus dissipating at sunrise 


















































Nautical Astronomy 


207 

is an old rhyme, true in a sense and a good rule, 
but, like most rules, with an exception. Too bright 
and fierce a red at sunset presages high wind. 

“Sheep’s fleece and mares’ tails 
Make lofty ships carry low sails.” 

Sheep’s fleece is that mottled, soft, woolly combi¬ 
nation of clouds. Mares’ tails are those long, white 
wisps of cirrus cloud high up in the sky. They are 
both named from their appearance. 

“Snow, hail and sleet bring home the fisher fleet; 
Sunshine and rain bring my true love from Spain.” 


So say the fisher folk around the coasts of Scotland. 

“When the wind backs up against the sun, 

Trust it not, for back it will come,” 

is another saying from the deep-sea ships, which 
means that the wind should shift from east round 
by south to west in the northern hemisphere and 
vice versa in the southern; when it backs the other 
way, do not trust it. 

In a calm in the open sea a swell will often presage 
the breeze that is to follow. 

A diffused fog in the morning is a sign of a fine 
and hot day. 

A halo round the moon often foretells wind. 


208 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

A ragged, torn sky suggests wind, and the frag¬ 
ments of cloud drifting away indicate its force. 

When clouds bank up along the horizon directly 
opposite to that quarter from which the wind is then 
blowing, look for a calm; if they are banking nearby 
or at a small angle to the present quarter, look for 
a shift, particularly if the shift swings with the sun 
—that is, from left to right in the northern hemi¬ 
sphere {vice versa in the southern). 

The following numbers give the approximate 
equivalent velocities of the wind as determined by 
the British Meteorological Office: 



Velocity, 


Velocity, 


miles 


miles 

Wind 

per hr. 

Wind 

per hr. 

o. Calm . 

•• 3 

7. Moderate gale.. 

.. 40 

i. Light air. 

.. 8 

8. Fresh gale . . 

48 

2. Slight breeze. 

• • 13 

9. Strong gale. 

.. 56 

3. Gentle breeze_ 

.. 18 

10. Whole gale. 

.. 65 

4. Moderate breeze. 

.. 23 

11. Storm gale. 

•• 75 

5. Fresh breeze. 

.. 28 

12. Hurricane . 

.. 90 

6. Strong breeze_ 

•• 34 




The strength of a squall may be judged by the 
effect it has on the water as it approaches; if it 
lashes the surface into crests of foam and looks 
heavy and dark, prepare for wind. 

Small clouds, distinctly separated, lying in the 
northwest at eventide foretell a fine day during the 
summer months. 













Nautical Astronomy 


209 


When an easterly wind is followed by a fog you 
may prepare generally for a howling westerly gale, 
sudden and violent. 

A northwesterly wind starting up at sunrise usu¬ 
ally blows a gale by the middle of the day during 
the fall months. 

“Rainbow in the morning, sailors take warning; 

Rainbow at night, sailors’ delight.’' 

When the wind shifts with the sun it usually 
presages finer weather. When it shifts against the 
sun it foretells worse weather. 

A dark red sky in the morning is a bad sign. 

Rain or snow falling in the distance may always 
be distinguished by the soft gray blanket reaching 
from the clouds to the horizon. 

With the wind from the eastward, a fine drizzle is 
usually the commencement of a hard storm. 

Soft clouds foretell fine weather; hard clouds with 
sharp edges suggest bad weather, just as do the 
harsh and soft tones in the water. 

But bear in mind that all weather signs may fail. 


Chapter XII 


SAILORIZING 


KNOTS, HITCHES AND BENDS 


E LEVEN bends, hitches and knots will cover all 
those in everyday use, while even some of 
these are no more than combinations of the 
others done up with an additional twist or bight for 
some special purpose. There are also a number of 
more fancy ones, but none of them would be of 
material assistance to you. On the other hand, there 
is not one here given that you will not some time 
thank your stars for being able to make. 

Reef Knot 

The main point to notice in making a Reef Knot 
(see page facing 212) is that the ends are carried 
straight on round the other line at X, and back 
through the bight thus formed, so as to jam as soon 
as a strain is set on them. 

Reef knots are used for tying ends of lines to¬ 
gether; the greater the strain put upon them the 
tighter they will become. 

210 


Sailorizing 


21 I 


Ordinary Bend 

An ordinary Bend may be made by passing the 
end of one line through the bight of another, and 
then carrying it round behind the other rope and 
back under its own part, as has been done with the 
light line in the photo on page facing 212. 

A bend is preferable to a reef knot for tying one 
rope to another. 

Timber Hitch 

A Timber Hitch, as its name implies (see page 
facing 212), is used to lift timber. It is made 
simply by passing the end of the rope round the 
hauling part and then round itself, the point being 
that you must take about four or five turns slack 
and then as soon as the strain is set knock down the 
eye at X so that the turns may jam. 

The Clove Hitch. 

Note (by referring to page facing 212) that the 
line at X is carried straight on round the ring. Do 
not do as in the right hand sketch; this is a Cow 
Hitch and bears the same relation to a clove hitch 
as a “granny” does to a reef knot. 

Use a clove hitch to tie the dinghey to the land¬ 
ing ring or for any purpose where the end of a 
rope has to be made fast. 


2 1 2 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 
Two Half Hitches 

Two Half Hitches (see page facing 212) are, as 
the name implies, simply two half hitches taken one 
after the other. In construction they are really the 
same as a clove hitch; in appearance they are some¬ 
what different, due to the fact that the hitches are 
made round the rope itself. 

If you are going to set a very heavy strain on 
them and want to make sure that your two half 
hitches won’t jam, make a round turn and two 
half hitches. The illustration will explain the con¬ 
struction better than any amount of words. 

Rolling Hitch 

A Rolling Hitch (see page facing 218) is made 
similarly to a clove hitch except that an extra turn 
is taken at X. This turn has the effect of preventing 
the hitch from slipping. 

Blackwall Hitch 

To make a Blackwall Hitch lay the end of your 
rope first across the hook. Now pass the bight of 
the rope around the back and then over the first part 
lying in the hook, as on page facing 218. 

The Blackwall hitch is used to make fast the end 
of a rope to a tackle. You may use it in lifting a 
mooring, hauling a boat out, etc. 



Reef knot Ordinary bend 



Timber hitch Clove hitch 



Two half hitches 


Round turn and two half 
hitches 









Sailorizing 


213 


Bowline 

To make a Bowline, take the rope in your left hand 
and throw in an eye X (see page facing 218). Then 
lead the end A through the eye, under the line and 
back through the eye again. 

Such nooses as these are used on the ends of 
mooring lines to throw over posts on docks, etc. 

Running Bowline 

A Running Bowline is simply a slip knot on a 
large scale. It is made the same as a bowline except 
that the bight of the bowline is made round the rope 
itself. 

Fisherman’s Bend or Towing Hitch 

A Fisherman’s Bend or Towing Hitch is made 
by making two overhand knots as shown in the upper 
photo on page facing 218. These when drawn to¬ 
gether as shown below will lock and form the best 
bend for use in a towline. Fishermen use it to tie 
their lines and traces together. 

TO MAKE A WHIPPING 

A whipping is the twine wound round the end of 
a rope to keep it from fraying out. 

Place the twine in the score of the rope and wind 
the turns as tightly as you can, until half way along; 


214 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

then make a bight in the twine (2), bringing the end 
back along the same score as you started from. Now 
go ahead with the turns again (3), using up the 
bight in the twine until you have made the whipping 
large enough. Pull the ends taut (4), tie them with 
a reef knot (5), and tap the turns down over it to 
finish the whipping off (6). 



SPLICING 

Of all the accomplishments of sailorizing to which 
the amateur aspires and the one at the threshold of 
which he falls down most frequently and therefore 
never accomplishes at all, is splicing. This may be 
due to the fact that most achievements are easy to 





Sailorizing 


215 


start and become more difficult as one advances, 
whereas the most difficult part of splicing comes at 
the very beginning. When a splice is properly 
started the rest is comparatively easy. 

To open up the strands that you may make the 
necessary tucks, you will find a “fid” of great assist¬ 
ance. Whenever you have occasion to turn the 
rope in working, do so against the lay so as to 
throw the turns out of it; this will make it easier 
to handle. 

To make an Eye Splice, unlay about ten inches of 
the rope; whip the ends; make an eye whatever size 
you wish; hold the work in your left hand and ar- 



Fig. 87 


range the strands, one on the far side and two on 
the near side. 

Tuck number 1 (the middle strand) first; then 



216 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

number 2, which is known as the short leg because 
it has to set up quite tight, Fig. 88. 

Now turn the rope and pass number 3. This is 
the long leg; just let it fall snugly into the lay of 



the rope, but do not set any strain in tightening it up, 
Fig. 89. Fig. 90, turn back to 2 again, passing it 
over one strand and under the next; then do the 
same with 1 and 3, which will complete two whole 



tucks. Do not make the tucks too short, but follow 
the lay of the yarn in the rope and you will find they 
will fall very snugly into place. Three whole tucks 
will be sufficient if you do not taper the splice. 



Sailorizing 


217 

Generally an eye splice is tapered, “twice whole, 
half and quarter,” in nautical parlance. In other 
words, the first two tucks are taken whole as above 
and then the strands are divided and a round of 
tucks made with the half strands. These strands in 



turn are again divided and the fourth set of tucks is 
made with the remaining quarters. Trim the ends 
and you will have a splice as in Fig. 91. 



Fig. 91 


When a splice is finished roll it on the deck under 
your foot; this will work the strands more evenly 
into place. With a heavy splice such as you would 
put in a hawser, the butt end of the fid may be used 
to advantage to hammer it. 




218 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

The Short Splice 

The hardest part of this, as with the eye splice, will 



Unlay the ends of your rope Fit the two ropes together 
and whip them thus. You may then pass 

a small temporary seizing; 
it will help hold the parts 
in place 

be the start, but if you have mastered the former 
splice it will seem comparatively easy. 



strands of the opposite 
one firmly in the left hand 
and raise strand A with 
the fid 



Take the next strand but 
one of the rope you have 
in your hand, and, passing 
it over its left-hand neigh¬ 
bor, tuck it under the 
strand you have just raised 


The short splice as a method of joining two pieces 
of rope is very useful, for it is made quickly and 









Rolling hitch 


Blackwall hitch 



A bowline 



Running bowline Fisherman’s knot, or towline bend 
















Sailorizing 


219 


requires but a short length of the rope. Do not use 
a short splice, however, on lines that have to run 



Now turn the rope toward Reverse the rope and start 
you and tuck No. 2, then the same procedure again 
No. 3 


through blocks, as it is too bulky to pass without 
jamming. 



Fig. 98 

The finished splice, tucked twice whole each way 


The Long Splice 

Because it is used less frequently and possibly be¬ 
cause of its name, most amateurs consider the long 
splice a thing better to be left alone. In reality it is 
scarcely more difficult than the preceding splices and 
its value lies largely in that it is little thicker than 
the rope itself and will easily run through a block. 
It takes, however, a longer length of rope to make. 

Unlay about three feet of the rope, fit the ends 





220 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

together and lay the opposite strands up as has been 
done below. Pass a temporary whipping to steady 
them in place till the splice is started. 

Now untwist the strands Ai and continue to un¬ 



lay the strand A from its rope; following it up by 
winding the strand I into the score. You will find 



that if you just give it the natural twist without 
forcing, it will drop easily into place, Fig. ioo. 

When about six inches from the end of i make 
an overhand knot with the two strands, following 










Sailorizing 


221 


the lay of the yarn. This will leave one long strand 
hanging and one short end. See Fig. ioi. 

You may now cut the whipping, untwist the 



strands B and 2, unlay 2 from the rope and set B 
into its place. When you get near the end knot the 
strands as before. 



Fig. 102 


Untwist the middle strands and knot them just 
where they are; taper the ends and tuck as in a short 
splice, taking one whole, one half, and one quarter 

Fig. 103 

tuck each way. Do this with each of the ends now, 
trimming off the superfluous ends. 

Roll the rope under your foot when finished, to 
work the strands together. Whippings over the 












222 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


ends of each strand add to the strength and appear¬ 
ance of the job. 

PURCHASES AND TACKLES 

We will allow the illustrations to explain the 
reeving of these tackles and the captions to tell 
what each may be specially suited for. You 



Fig. 104 Fig. 105 Fig. 106 Fig. 107 

Fig. 104. —Gun tackle purchase 
Fig. 105.—Gun tackle purchase reversed 

Fig. 106.—Blocks with beckets clapped on the fall of a pur¬ 
chase. By reeving the hauling part of a tackle through 
a couple of single blocks as above its power may be 
doubled 

Fig. 107.—Luff tackle. A good tackle to rig from the top 
of a derrick to lift out masts and raise all ordinary 
weights 

should, however, bear in mind that which is common 
to all purchases—that the block through which your 
hauling part reeves is the one that has the most haul- 














Sailorizing 


223 



Fig. 108 Fig. 109 Fig. iio 

Fig. 108—Luff tackle reversed, or watch tackle. The most 
commonly used for all general purposes 
Fig. 109.—Double purchase, for lifting heavy weights such 


as an engine 

Fig. no.—Double purchase reversed, suitable for hauling 
boats and similar heavy work 





Fig. iii Fig. 112 Fig. 113 

Fig. in.—Luff upon luff, another purchase of great power. 
Suitable for setting up stays, raising a mooring, etc. 

Fig. 112.—The Spanish Burton is a simple tackle of great 
lifting power. It is used considerably to raise cargo out 
of vessels’ hulls 

Fig. 113.—Double Spanish Burton is used like the single, 
but has greater lifting power 



























224 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

ing force, and the larger the blocks within reason, 
the greater purchase you will get. 

Reeve the fall right-handed; that is, with the sun, 
just as you would coil the rope. 

To rig a Derrick for raising an Engine or Mast 

First procure a sturdy spar—the boom of a large 
sloop will do—and to the end attach three ropes, 
long enough to steady it when stood on end. Now 



make fast a sling just beneath the aforesaid ropes, 
encircling the spar in such a manner with the turns 
as to form a rolling hitch; a number of half hitches, 
however, will do. Hook the top block of a luff 
tackle purchase into the sling and overhaul the rope. 
Now set a man to steady each of the guy lines while 
a few more raise the spar on end and plant the butt 
near the boat, abreast of the engine. Let the der- 







Sailorizing 


225 


rick lean over the boat so that the top is directly 
above the engine. Trim the lines and belay, making 
sure that the lines which receive the strain are strong 
and made well fast. 


Chapter XIII 


SAILING 

T HIS section on sailing is mainly for the use of 
the modern practical sailing craft. It is, 
however, taken for granted, in one or two 
instances, that you have auxiliary power. The in¬ 
formation contained herein, then, is amply sufficient 
to sail any ordinary craft with or without power, 
and the motor boatist should make it part of his 
business as a competent sailor to absorb every point 
of it. Among deep-water, certificated men, he who 
holds an officer’s certificate for sail may take charge 
in either sail or steam, but he who has a steam cer¬ 
tificate is considered competent only in steam. 

Principles of sailing 

Many a mind has been mystified that a sailboat 
could sail against the wind, and sometimes even 
faster against it than with it! Following is the 
reason: There are two main principles in sailing: 
pressure and leverage. In the former, a dead pres¬ 
sure is exerted by the wind against the sails, and 
the boat in sailing away from the wind lessens this 
226 


Sailing 


227 


pressure by just that much. That is to say, if the 
wind were blowing a gentle breeze at about twenty 
miles an hour from astern, and the boat sailed away 
from it at four miles an hour, it is plain that she 
would have only a pressure of sixteen miles—left in 
the wind—to be exerted against her sails. This is 
very little, to say the least, in the way of wind. 
Now, supposing this same wind to be blowing five 



Fig. 115 


points on the bow; the boat would then receive not 
only the full force of the wind from sailing into it, 
but an additional force pro rata to her speed. Thus, 
she would very probably make six miles an hour, as 
the pressure of the wind would be something close 
to twenty-three miles an hour; seven miles an hour 
more than in the first case. 

Wind should never be allowed to blow straight 



228 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


into a sail, but at an angle. Even when the wind is 
directly aft, which at most is a bad sailing point, 



arrange your sails so that they hold no dead wind. 
To do this, it may pay you to sail a point or two 



Fig. i 17 

Sail holding cushion of dead Allowing the wind to glance 
wind and live wind escap- off the sails and thus exert 
ing its full force 













Sailing 


229 

higher than your course and then jibe and keep the 
wind at the same angle on the other quarter. 

The balancing of sails 

When a boat is designed there are two centers of 
pressure that must be reckoned with. These are (1) 



the center of the wind pressure on the sails and (2) 
the center of the hull pressure against the water. 
The former is known as the “center of effort” and 
the other the “center of lateral resistance.” The 

















230 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

center of lateral resistance on a well-balanced boat 
is just forward of the center of sail area, so that, if 
you refer to the small diagram, and imagine giving 
it a poke with your finger as the wind, the tendency 
would be for her to run up into it and thus empty 
the sails as she came head to. The well-rigged boat 
thus will more or less take care of herself in a puff, 
whereas, if the tendency were to fall off and the 
boat were to get beyond the control of the helmsman, 
she would place herself at the mercy of the weather. 

The appearance of the sails should tell you at once 
if they are well set, but it is only by the feel of the 
helm that you will be able to tell if they are well 
balanced. The helm should have to be carried a 
little over, just sufficient to resist the perpetual ten¬ 
dency of the boat to come up into the wind. Re¬ 
member, however, that every spoke of helm a boat 
has to carry is just that much drag on her speed. 
Therefore, if she wants to come up a great deal and 
it takes a lot of helm to keep her off, it is evident 
she has too much after sail. In a yawl you may slack 
off on the jigger sheet or take the sail in. This sail 
will also invariably produce more propelling power 
if it is left easy; never flatten it right in. The reverse 
holds good on the jib, due no doubt to the fact that 
the sheet leads well off regardless of how flat you 
may trim it, though, of course, it should be started, 
that is, slacked just a little in a wind that comes 





















Becalmed 























































































































































































































Sailing 


231 


from four to six points on the bow and still more as 
soon as it hauls aft of the beam. Should a boat 
show a tendency to pay off, she has too much head 
sail. Slack a little on the jib sheet and flatten in on 
the main or jigger, according to sloop or yawl rig. 

When you are tacking or sailing as close to the 
wind as you can, be guided by the slight lift occa¬ 
sionally in the mainsail near the luff. If the wind is 
free, keep it about a point and a half on the sails, 
and as it hauls abaft the beam, increase the angle. 

For ease of handling all sheets should lead to the 
cockpit, including the main peak and throat halyards. 
By dropping the peak, you may materially reduce 
your speed and relieve the boat of sail pressure. 

To measure sail area 

Let abed represent a mainsail. From the peak b 
drop the perpendicular b e and from the throat a 
draw the horizontal a f (Fig. 119). 

Now measure the length of the luff a d and the 
distance from a to f. Then as a f e d is a rectangle 
if the side a f is multiplied by the side a d the result 
will be the number of square feet in that portion of 
the sail. Thus: 

ad — 15 ft. a f = 10 ft. 
then 15 X 10 = 150 sq. ft. 

The portion of the sail left above is a triangle and 
the angle at f is bound to be a right angle; therefore 


232 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

if you raise a perpendicular from a and draw a line 
parallel to af from b you will have another rectangle. 
Measure this up as you did the first one, divide the 
number of square feet by two, and you will have the 




number of feet in the triangle or the upper portion 
of the sail. Thus : 

f b = 12 ft. a f = 10 ft. 
then 12 X 10 = 120, and the triangle a b f = 60 sq. ft. 

Work out the triangle bee in the same way and 
you will find there 108 sq. ft. 















Sailing 


233 

Now add the totals together and you have the full 
number: 

150 

60 

108 

Total, 318 sq. ft. in sail. 


To find the center of effort 

Find the center of the rectangle a f e d by joining 
the opposite points a e and f d. 



Fig. 120 

Sail plan, with names of parts, also halyards and sheets and 
all regular running gear 












234 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


Find the center , of the triangles by taking the 
center of any two sides and drawing a line from 
there to the opposite angle (see sketch). 

Join up the centers of the three portions of the 
sail and you have described another triangle x y z. 
Find the center of this again by measuring for the 
middle of any two of the sides and drawing a line 
to the apex of the opposite angle as before. The 
point CE, where the lines cross, is the Center of 
Effort. 


Bending sail 

To explain this we had perhaps better resort to 
sketches, with lucid and necessary explanation. 



Broad seaming is widening 
near edges to give fullness 
to the middle. The roach is 
the curve along the edges. 



Many sails are ruined by 
being stretched too taut 
along the spars. New sails 
should have special care. 







Sailing 


235 


Having shipped the spars in place and reeved off 
the running gear, stretch the mainsail along the 
boom, making fast the tack first and then the clew. 
If it is a new sail do not stretch the sail all out of 
shape by hauling out too tight at first; take up on it 
a little at a time, for it will stretch with use. Racing 
sails are slacked up at the clew when left over the 
week to guard against their getting wet and so 
stretching out of shape. This does not mean, how¬ 
ever, that you should leave slack bights anywhere. 




Fig. 123 

Lacing eyes you will find to be one of the best 
methods of holding down the foot of the mainsail 
to the boom. It is very necessary, however, to be 
careful to space the eyes so as to allow for the sail 
stretching. 





Fig. 124 















236 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 
Do not lace the foot of the sail like this. It will 


result in kinks. 



if. 


j k A 

. j 




j~. 











Fig. 125 



Fig. 126 Fig. 127 Fig. 128 Fig. 129 

Fig. 126.—Shackled or seized to an eyebolt in the gaff 
Fig. 127.—Shackled to lower end of tumbler 
Fig. 128.—Laced up to jaws of the gaff 
Fig. 129.—Bend the sail with slack at the throat 



Do not lace the head like 
this or the sail will slip 
when the peak is raised, 
the weight hanging from 
the head cringle, wrinkling 
it badly 



Hitch your sail to the gaff, 
so that the weight is dis¬ 
tributed evenly at all the 
grommet holes. Overhead 
hitches made as above 
grip the gaff 
























Sailing 


237 


Better use separate stops for each eyelet. 

We will now have a look at a few of the many 
ways in which the throat may be made fast. Which¬ 
ever you use, however, leave enough slack sail to 
allow for hoisting the peak. 

When this is done stretch the head, make fast the 
peak, and pass the lacing for the head. 

Setting sail 

To set a square sail, see that the weight of the 
boom is on the lift before removing the crotch, and 



This is the right way for the 
wrinkles to run 



wrinkle this way 


leave the sheet slack. Hoist away on the throat and 
peak halyards, making sure that the luff of the sail 








238 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

is good and taut; then belay the throat. Now finish 
on the peak by raising it till there is a slight wrinkle 
running from the head to the luff. Slack the boom 
lift. Trim sheet. 



Fig. 134 


Sometimes the sheet or halyards are badly placed. Spars 
should not bend out of shape—it ruins the sails 

In setting head sail, as with any other, make sure 
that the luff is well stretched; leave no little curves 
between the hooks or rings, and if, after it has been 
set for an hour or so, these defects show—due to 
the sail drying out—go round and “swig up,” as 
they say on the racing clippers. 

In shaking out a reef, slack a little on the peak 
and throat halyards, untie the points, and lastly, 
having seen that the weight of the boom is on the 






Sailing 


239 

lift, come up on the clew earing. Hoist the sail, 
trim sheet and ease down on the boom lift again so 
that it does not spoil the set of the sail. Unless the 
wind has fallen very light or is forward of the beam 
you will have to bring the boat up into the wind to 
stretch the sail. 


Fig. 135 

A sail properly set with even 
draft will show it in a per¬ 
fect arc of shadow 

Shortening sail 

In a yawl the jib and jigger should always bal¬ 
ance; if they do not, you can make them do so by 
taking in or slacking off on either of the sheets; thus 
you are sailing independently of the mainsail and 
you may reef it or take it in altogether without inter¬ 
fering with your control. To reef the mainsail, slack 
off the main sheet enough to spill the wind out of 
the sail, bring the boat up a little if necessary, take 
the weight of the boom on the lift, slack away on the 




Fig. 136 

A sheet leading too far aft 
may be the cause of a 
flapping leach 







240 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

throat and peak halyards until whichever reef band 
you wish to tie up at is down to the boom; then 
make fast your reef earing at the tack, haul out the 
clew earing, tie up the reef points and reset the sail. 

In a sloop you will have to contend with the long 
boom and also the fact that the sails do not balance 
quite so evenly as in a yawl; but by slacking off the 
jib sheet a trifle and keeping the peak of the main¬ 
sail hoisted you may hold up into the wind very well. 
But the exact trim of sail in reefing you will no 
doubt find out best yourself, for it will be controlled 
largely by the severity of the weather and the boat 
herself. The easiest way, perhaps, is to start the 
kicker and keep it going at half speed until you have 
the sail reset. 

Squalls 

When sailing “by the wind” or close to it, let the 
boat come to in a squall, so as to shake the wind out 
of her sails. If you are sailing far off the wind, 
however, it may be better to slack the main sheet as 
you swing round. Make it a rule always to see 
that the main sheet is kept clear and ready to run 
at a moment’s notice, particularly in squally or gusty 
weather. It really pays to reef rather than to luff 
continually, for by the latter method you do more to 
lose the wind in the puffs than to gain extra speed. 

A boat that is dragging sail, or, in other words, is 


Sailing 


241 

over-canvased, heels over so far, provided she does 
not capsize, that the sail area presented to the wind 
is lessened just the same as though she were reefed. 
Yet her underbody is at a great disadvantage, for 
few boats are built to sail at such an extreme angle. 

T acking 

When several are sailing the boat, and you are 
ready to tack ship, first shout, “Are you ready to go 
about?” which is a signal for the other fellows to 
attend to their respective jobs, and if anyone should 
be below balancing the kettle on the stove it gives 
him a moment to become prepared. 

Supposing that no vivid reason has been set forth 
to stop you from coming about—silence plus action 
always breathes assent—and you call “Hard down!” 
which is not only a signal for the man at the helm 
to suit the action to the word, but for the jib sheets 
to be slacked so that the boat may respond more 
readily. As the boat swings round the jib sheets 
should be hauled over and tautened down on the new 
tack before the sails fill. The helm has to be steadied 
and the boat held up to the wind again as soon as 
the sails are drawing. 

Should a high sea be running so that the boat, 
upon heading the wind, hesitates to come round, haul 
the jib back on the old tack again. By so doing it 
will catch the wind on the back of the sail, thereby 


242 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

paying the boat’s bow round in the way you wish 
to go. 

Jibing 

Jibing is the reverse of tacking, inasmuch as the 
former maneuver changes the wind from one bow to 
the other, whereas the latter changes it from one 
quarter to the other. 

To begin with: do not attempt to jibe in a heavy 
wind when you have not the boat under perfect con¬ 
trol; it is bad work for spars. Go round into the 
wind instead; that is to say, bring the boat up 
steadily into the wind, taking in on the sheets as 
she comes to, and then tack ship. Pay off again on 
the other tack till the wind is where you want it. 

To jibe, steady the boat dead before the wind and 
haul in on the main sheet till the boom is amidships, 
then very gently come up a little so as to get the 
wind the other side of the sail. As soon as the gaff 
flops over, slack away on the sheet and look after 
the jib. In a yawl the jigger will usually look after 
itself unless it is too big a sail to be trusted. Then, 
if you are short-handed, run it down; if you have 
another fellow aboard, let him do the same with it 
as is done with the mainsail. 

Club hauling 

Following is the method of club hauling, a pro¬ 
ceeding which I sincerely hope you will never have 




9 



The cruising yawl Penguin, a capable and comfortable type of craft 



( 


Sailing 


243 


to resort to, for it is the court of last resort before 
being blown bodily on to a lee shore in a sea so high 
that the boat is unable to gather way enough to tack. 



B 


C 


Fig. 137 


Lead a line along the weather side from forward 
aft—outside of everything—and make fast the end 
to an anchor lying on deck. Retain enough line to 
reach bottom and check the boat, but do not make it 
fast so that it cannot be let go instantly, for you are 
to lose this anchor and line in preference to losing 
the whole boat. 

When you are ready, proceed to tack ship as usual 
but throw the anchor overboard. This will check 
the bow and swing the boat as in position B. As 
soon as the sails fill let go the anchor rope and stand 
out to sea, as in position C. 

Sailing up to a mooring 

Here is a maneuver that from results—it would 
appear—might stand a great deal of practice. And 




244 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

yet there is really little to it except decision in action 
and the realization that it is useless to sail directly 
up to a mooring and then try to stop the boat— 
it simply can’t be done. 

You may hold on to sail as long as you want ac¬ 
cording to the manner in which the boat carries her 
way, and your ability to handle her—I cannot tell 
you that. But to be safe, drop your jigger as soon 
as you enter the fleet, steer for a point about two 
hundred feet to leeward of your mooring, and when 
the wind is four points on the bow, haul down the 
jib, ease the helm, and swing up into the wind as 
the mooring comes abeam. If this maneuver is exe¬ 
cuted with proper judgment there will be just suffi¬ 
cient way left to slide up to the buoy. 

Getting the most out of wind and tide 

It is not our intention, nor within the sphere of 
this book, to cover the fine points of sailboat hand¬ 
ling, which are many and varied, but to prove to you 
that it does pay to think and observe carefully. 
Following is an example such as is always occurring 
and which calls for just such attributes as those 
mentioned: 

B is attempting in a light head wind to round the 
buoy P. If he makes the wrong move he will hold 
close up into the wind W and thereby lose speed. 
When he reaches position i he will decide that he, 


Sailing 


245 


has a fair wind but very little of it, and at position 
2 he will find that he is being carried up by the tide 
and must therefore sail away before a light wind to 



Fig. 138 

make the point, thus losing what little life the wind 
has in it. 

Now we will say that you had taken a bearing of 
the buoy and found that you could not quite make 
it, but with a little observation and reference to the 
tide table discovered that the tide was running up 
and that by heading the boat a trifle off the wind 
you could reach her best sailing point for so light 







246 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

a breeze; and that by the time you reached the buoy 
the tide would probably place you as far to wind¬ 
ward as the wind would to leeward of your course. 
Thus you would be receiving the benefit of both 
tide and wind, whereas B in the first case would 
simply, by lack of observation, have lost the best 
of both wind and tide. 

Should you have discovered that you would not 
be able quite to clear the buoy, the thing to do would 
naturally be to hold up into the wind a trifle so as 
to slack the speed and so drift on the tide a little 


more. 


Chapter XIV 


THE CABIN 

A ccommodation plans should explain 

themselves. I have selected below a repre¬ 
sentative arrangement for each of the sev¬ 
eral types of craft wherein cabin accommodation is 
really of vital importance. All of these plans form 
excellent examples of the way in which the limited 
space may be allotted to meet various requirements. 

In conjunction with the different types of boats, I 
have already shown the usual general layout of cabin 
arrangement. But here is still another of this very 
favorite style of cruiser and really a very commend¬ 
able one. 

A 27-F00T Raised Deck Cruiser 

This husky little craft is only twenty-seven feet 
long, yet her cockpit accommodation is sufficient to 
seat eight persons comfortably while she provides 
good cruising quarters for two or three. The two 
particularly desirable points, however, that bring 
themselves to our attention are the spacious cabin 
and the galley, which is set near the companionway 
247 


248 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


so that the smell of cooking and heat of the stove 
may easily escape. You will also notice the long 
skylight, ventilator and hatch, assuring ample ven¬ 
tilation and light. Locker space has been provided 
of just the right type; space where you may hang 
your “go-ashore clothes” when away on a cruise, 



Designed by Swasey y Raymond and Page 

Fig. 139 


without getting the bilge water slopped all over 
them, as so often happens with seat lockers. The 
toilet is tucked away forward. 


A 21-Foot W. L. Auxiliary Sloop 


For a boat so small, this little craft provides un¬ 
usual accommodation, and for that reason we are in¬ 
cluding her among these cabin plans. All the yawls 





















































The Cabin 


249 

that follow might be sloop-rigged if their owners 
preferred, but no boat of this size should be yawl- 
rigged. 

Practically all the boat is utilized below deck. 
Forward there is a coal stove and aft of this a case 




Designed by Geo. L. Chats son 

Fig. 140 


of drawers with a hatch so arranged as to give full 
headroom to a person standing in front of them. 
Next comes the ice chest—with a shelf back of it— 
and then a slatted berth which extends aft two feet 
beyond the cabin trunk. On the starboard side are 





















































250 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

two more slatted berths, extending, you will note, 
away aft under the bridge deck, while beneath all 
these berths there is good storage space in zinc-lined 
closets. A table hangs from the roof and folds 
longitudinally, for storage under the forward deck 
with the awning poles, etc., when not in use. 

There is a hatch in the bridge deck, over the en¬ 
gine, through which the man at the helm can readily 
reach the one-way clutch, the switch, or the throttle 
to control the engine. The fuel is carried in two 
forty-gallon tanks and a hatch aft gives access to 
storage space for ropes and other deck gear. 

A 30-F00T Raised Deck Crutsf 

This thirty-foot raised deck cruiser proves that it 
is quite possible in a small boat to provide really 
comfortable cabin accommodations for two, with 
facilities for carrying an extra guest or a paid hand. 
No attempt whatever has been made to cut the boat 
up into staterooms or berths, as it was the owner’s 
idea to have a really comfortable craft for two people 
without the trouble and inconvenience attached to 
extension transoms and beds that have to be made 
up every night. Also, there was a desire to obtain 
a really comfortable stateroom with good storage 
facilities and a permanently made-up bed in prefer¬ 
ence to one in which every consideration has been 


The Cabin 


251 

sacrificed in order to accommodate four or five per¬ 
sons. There is 5 ft. 8 in. headroom in the cabin. 

The gasoline tank which carries a supply of 150 
gallons is set over a drip pan which drains directly 
over the side. 

A point that somewhat commends itself to our at¬ 
tention is the comfortable lazy-back seat extending 



Designed by Gas Engine & Power Co. and 
Charles L. Seabury Co. (Consolidated) 

Fig. 141 


across the after end of the cockpit and the clear 
space left, which suggests wicker chairs, cushions, 
and more comfort. 


















































252 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 
A 30-F00T Cruiser 


Here is. an interesting thirty-footer—a regular 
sea-going cruiser, double ended, with high freeboard 
and equipped to carry fuel and supplies for extended 



Designed by Atkin-Wheeler Co. 

Fig. 142 


trips. The space under the after deck is used as a 
storeroom, access to which is obtained through a 







































The Cabin 


253 

sliding hatch. The cockpit is comfortably large; 
large enough for you to pace across of a fine even¬ 
ing, with your after-dinner smoke. The motor- 
room is entirely separated from the cabin and can 
be entered only from the deck, thus keeping all odor 
of gasoline and oil out of the living quarters. And 
those lockers which you will note along the side are 
a happy thought for warm clothes and oilskins. 

The cabin, which provides 5 ft. 6 in. headroom, 
is entered from the starboard side and lockers are 
fitted along the passage for dishes, glassware, etc. 
A Shipmate range is installed for heating and cook¬ 
ing purposes, and beneath it is an icebox and a bin 
for fuel. The toilet room is amply large, fitted with 
closet and folding lavatory. A sink is in the nook 
formed by the berth and the boat’s side, and is de¬ 
signed to have a folding wash tray. Forward are 
two comfortable berths with room between for a 
small table. 

Besides the gasoline tank under the cockpit, there 
is another under the cabin floor which has a capacity 
of 100 gallons, making in all a fuel supply of 200 
gallons, or sufficient to run the 18 to 20-h. p. engine 
over 800 miles at a speed of ten miles an hour. 
There is also a ten-gallon cylinder oil tank and a 
50-gallon water tank located under the cockpit floor. 

The stout mast is rigged to carry a lateen-rigged 
sail and the hatch forward allows of handling the 


254 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

anchois without sliding all over the wet, slippery 
deck in bad weather. 

A 32-F00T Shoal Draft Auxiliary Yawl 

Here is the accommodation plan of a shoal draft 
auxiliary yawl that comes very near to being a 
motor-boat, for her trunk cabin gives her something 
of that appearance, while her two six-horse engines 
produce a very creditable speed. 



Designed by Bath Marine Construction Co. 

Fig. 143 


The main cabin is arranged with transom berths 
on each side, with lockers beneath, and closets back 
of same. Above the closets are shelves and racks 
for dishes, etc. The bottoms of all the lockers are 
raised above the level of the floor, so that in a heavy 
sea it would be impossible for bilge water to slop up 
and wet their contents. Hung to the centerboard 















The Cabin 


2 55 

case, which partially divides the cabin, is a cooking 
table on one side and a dining table on the other, 
both of the hinged type. The transoms on both sides 
are fitted with extension pieces, so that two berths 
about four feet wide can be made. The back pieces 
are stored under the cushions and the extra cushions 
for the extensions form the back of the seats. 

The stove in the galley is of the coal or wood 
burning type. Beneath it is a box for fuel, and 
alongside is a lead-lined sink with a zinc drain and 
brass galley pump connected with the 50-gallon fresh 
water tank placed in the bow. The galley section is 
lined with zinc over asbestos, an exceptionally good 
idea. Forward of the main cabin is a field bed reach¬ 
ing from side to side, about seven feet broad at the 
after end. This compartment is fitted with shelves, 
and curtains separate it from the cabin. Lockers for 
the storage of articles not often wanted are located 
beneath the bed, and along the side is a narrow shelf 
fitted with straps to hold dress-suit cases, another 
sign of forethought convenient for the man who 
takes out friends who like to change into their boat¬ 
ing “duds” aboard. 

The cockpit is of the self-bailing type, fitted with 
large lead scuppers, really large enough to give one 
or two consecutive seas a chance to escape. You will 
find that this is not generally the case in the one- 
inch piping you will so often be provided with and 


256 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

which is barely big enough to let out a shower of 
rain. At the forward end of the cockpit is the en¬ 
gine compartment, made practically watertight to 
keep smell and fumes out of the cabin. This is one 
of the principal features of the design, for it is de¬ 
sired to have perfect safety and comfort in the cabin 
so that fffes and lights may be used without danger. 

Under the after deck is a large lazarette, entered 
by a door on the port side of the cockpit, and on the 
starboard side a large icebox, so constructed that it 
may be hauled out for cleaning. The power con¬ 
sists of two single-cylinder, six-horsepower engines 
with reverse gears. This boat has proved to be an 
ideal small cruiser, being fairly fast under either sail 
or power. 

A 30-F00T Auxiliary Yawl 

This yawl is very interesting, mainly because she 
is so different from most types and because there 
are several points about her arrangement that are 
well worth attention. 

The cockpit, which is a self-bailing, narrow well, 
is eleven feet long and provides comfortable seating 
capacity for a dozen to sixteen people. There is a 
table that sets down the center for the serving of 
outdoor meals and which slings under the cockpit 
deck when not in use. Notwithstanding the large 
cockpit, on account of the high freeboard and 


The Cabin 


257 


flush deck, the whole length of the boat below is 
cabin space. Forward is a five-gallon fresh water 
tank, easily slipped in and out through the hatch and 




Designed bv A. T. Marshall 

Fig. 144 


taken ashore anywhere to be refilled, as the owner 
prefers fresh water obtained as he uses it to that 
which has possibly been lying in a tank for an 
indefinite period. Water for extended cruises is 
carried in bottles, packed in cases and stowed under 
the cockpit. Salt water is supplied from a faucet 
that is located forw r ard in the galley and beneath 
the water line. A garbage can sets just forward of 

















































258 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

the sink to catch the waste water from the latter and 
the rubbish from the galley. We have spoken before 
of the cheery Shipmate, and in the fall months hav¬ 
ing the stove in the cabin itself is a very welcome 
factor. In the summer, the heat from a coal stove 
does not add much to the heat of the atmosphere; 
like adding speed to a boat, it is mighty hard after 
a certain point has been reached. A small Primus 
oil stove is used in addition aboard this craft, for 
when the owner is in a hurry to get ashore to busi¬ 
ness it is much quicker and amply sufficient for 
breakfast, and when used in conjunction with the 
coal stove a full course meal is rapidly and well 
prepared. 

Three pipe berths allow of the beds being kept 
made up and out of the way when not wanted. The 
chart table, with drawers beneath for navigating in¬ 
struments, also proves very handy, as it does not 
interfere with serving meals when at sea. 

The hatch forward and also that which is aft are 
fitted with mosquito frames, while a curtain fits over 
the open skylight, thus affording protection when 
visiting places where these little gentlemen are more 
numerous than pleasant. The toilet is under the 
bridge deck on the starboard side and is simply cur¬ 
tained off, as is all the after end of the boat, for here 
again the owner does not believe in dividing a cabin 
up into compartments. 


The Cabin 


259 

A large awning is slung under the after deck on 
the port side and the cushions that lie on these after 
transoms fit the cockpit seats. 

There is 5 ft. 8 in. headroom in the cabin. A 
general description of the boat was given in Chap¬ 
ter II. 




Designed by W.J- Deed 

Fig. 14s 


A 32-F00T Auxiliary Yawl 

These are the cabin plans of the 32-foot yawl 
shown in Chapter II. The attractive arrangement of 
the cabin, depicted in the plans, speaks for itself. 
There is 5 ft. nj 4 i n - headroom under the carline 
and it contains, on the port side, two 6-foot built- 




















































260 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

in berths with an extension transom in front; and 
on the starboard side a 6-foot 9-inch built-in berth 
with an extension transom in front. There is also 
a buffet and sideboard in this compartment, as well 
as ample locker room under the raised deck. For¬ 
ward, on the starboard side, is a good-sized toilet 
room, while on the port side is the galley, with 
stove space, sink, pump, dish lockers, etc. 

CABIN CONVENIENCES 

In the foregoing accommodation plans the ob¬ 
servant reader will have noted a number of institu¬ 
tions that are worth while in a cabin. Following 
are a few more that either were not included, or 
not explained sufficiently for you to adapt them. 

All of the following articles may be part of a 
well-found cruiser’s inventory; they suggest their 
own uses, and as I speak from the experience of hav¬ 
ing a boat with every one of them installed I would 
sooner a hundred-fold have a well-found small craft 
than a great, gaunt cruiser without these little items 
which make the boating game a very joyous thing 
indeed. 

A good phonograph with a selection of your 
favorite airs ranging from grand opera to giddy rag¬ 
time fits very well between courses at mealtime or 
even will entertain the company while Jones starts 


The Cabin 


261 

the engine. Or again, if you swing to a silent moor¬ 
ing between the steep wooded hills of a moonlit 
cove, you may have those hills re-echo to the voices 
of the world’s greatest singers, at will. A phono¬ 
graph is the very best of company at a time when 
all hands will thoroughly appreciate it. 

A pair of binoculars, which if you take time and 
opportunity you may snap up along the water front 
at a bargain price, will help you materially in dis¬ 
tinguishing shore marks, other craft, buoys, reefs, 
etc. 

An aneroid and a thermometer will pay for them¬ 
selves in their weather guidance and form an in¬ 
teresting reference. 

Fishing tackle should include a dozen small hooks 
for porgies, Lafayettes and flounders; a dozen stout, 
medium-sized ones for blackfish or sea bass, and a 
dozen larger ones for fluke or big blackfish. These, 
with a few lines and half a dozen sinkers varying 
in weight from two to six ounces, will supply much 
fun and many a luscious fry. Of course, a real fisher¬ 
man might add rod and reel and spend a good deal 
of time on the finer points of tackle, but we could 
write a book on this alone and so will not go into it 
here. Even if you don’t count yourself a fisherman, 
if the fish are plentiful, and hungry enough to bite, 
you simply can’t keep them off the hook so long as 
you try to keep a clam on. Remember that where 


262 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

you may not have a single bite one hour, you may 
have dozens the next; and, as with blackfish, which 
feed over submerged, mussel-covered wreckage, if 
you do not fish right where they are they will not 
go three feet out of their way to taste the most 
tempting bait beneath the sea. 

When you anchor in one of those sandy-shored 
coves where clams are to be found, you should have 
a clam-rake handy to dig along the low water line, 
where the sand mixes somewhat with black mud, if 
you want a goodly mess of these delicious bivalves. 
The presence of the soft shell clam is marked by 
little holes in the sand, though you must not confuse 
these with the holes of the fiddler crab, which are 
very similar. Hard shell clams you will find from 
one to several feet under water at low tide. In 
summer you will not have to dig deeply for them; 
indeed, they are often seen lying in the sand. In 
winter, or when the water gets cold, they bury them¬ 
selves deeper and you may have to go down one or 
two feet for them. 

A gun will bring the shooting man within range 
of the wild duck, but there are several laws to be 
complied with which it would be well to study first. 

A camera, even though it be only a little kodak, 
will bring back lasting memories of' your trips— 
good things to look over during the winter months, 
and a record to be treasured for a lifetime. 


The Cabin 


263 

Tools do not provide quite so much sport as the 
things which have just been monopolizing our at¬ 
tention ; nevertheless a kit of good tools comes under 
the heading of gear that pays amply for its keep 
aboard a boat. 

You may divide your tool equipment into two lots. 
One lot you may oil, wrap up and put away care¬ 
fully; these would be the planes, wood chisels, brace 
and bits, etc., and the regular carpentering things. 
The other lot should be kept in a box accessible at a 
moment’s notice, or in a series of pockets along the 
side of the boat under the cockpit. In this set 
should be included a hammer, axe, plumber’s pliers, 
Stilson wrench, large wrench, small money wrench, 
screw-driver, cold chisel, file, jack-knife, and marlin- 
spike. This is the gear you may have to be able to 
lay your hand on in case of emergency or should the 
engine go wrong. Should a boat sail down on top 
of you and the rigging get foul; should you carry 
away a spar and have to clear the wreckage in a 
hurry; should you tie up for a tow and let the line 
get foul of the big boat’s propeller, and need an axe 
or a big knife to cut away quickly, or should you 
have to shackle up an anchor or rig a sea drogue; 
in fact, should a great many other things happen, 
these tools will be worth their weight in gold. 

In the cabin arrangements of one of the yawls we 
referred to a salt water faucet. This consists simply 


264 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

of a gate valve fitted to the boat’s side as was done 
for the pump connections in Chapter VI. A section 
of pipe and a piece of rubber tubing follow in much 
the same way, measured to suit your requirements, 
and then the regular faucet is set into the side of the 
transom berth or seat; set, however, so that no part 
of the connection is above the water line. This 
allows of your getting all the salt water you want 
for washing dishes, cleaning vegetables, etc., and 
avoids climbing over the cabin table when going on 
deck and reaching way down over the side for it, 
an acrobatic feat which is not always simple on boats 
with high freeboard. 


Chapter XV 


COOKING ABOARD SMALL CRAFT 
THE GALLEY STOVE • 

A GOOD stove is always an important adjunct 
and a most wonderful creator of willing 
cooks and good meals. In a small, open 
craft, of course, a single Primus or even a regular 
oil burner will do to heat a cup of coffee if that is 
not already heated and kept in a thermos bottle; but 
in the cruising craft it becomes another story, and 
good company round a well-found table is one of the 
big attractions of the game. 

The Blue Flame oil stove This may be bought 
quite cheaply, for such a pretentious looking article. 
It provides a good flame for cooking, but must be 
kept at a mean level so that the oil distributes evenly 
to the burners. If this is not done you will find a 
larger flame on the burner which is lowest. The 
regular jog of the boat from side to side has no 
serious effect. In common with all oil stoves the 
blue flame type will flare up if too much oil is fed 
265 


266 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

before the burner is hot. The writer’s personal ex¬ 
perience with this form of stove, and really this is 
its main drawback, is that it seems inclined to 
throw out a strong gas for a few moments after 
being extinguished. 

Alcohol stoves. These stoves, if you do not mind 
the fuel expense, are very clean and do not take up 
a large amount of room. They provide a fairly uni¬ 
form heat but are a trifle slow for big meals, though 
quite sufficient for ordinary fries, vegetables and tea 
or coffee. 

Primus and Khotal stoves. These provide an in¬ 
tense heat, cook quickly and do not give a disagree¬ 
able smell. A single burner stove of this order takes 
very little space in a small craft and you will find 
it a good and willing servant. The double burner 
fitted into a stand so as to hold three or four pots 
is used probably more extensively than any other 
form of stove. The flame may be regulated at will, 
and with the exception of the fact that the heat 
naturally centers somewhat over the flame—which 
really only means that you must watch the cooking 
a little more carefully than on a coal stove—there is 
nothing better. 

Gasoline stoves. These are very clean, give a 
good heat and are economical—but they require 
watching. Really a gasoline stove is perfectly safe, 
the only trouble being that the operator when 



Breakfast on deck. Cruising down the Connecticut River 



Galley corner. Notice the salt-water faucet, set below 
the water line 

* 




















































































































































































































Cooking Aboard Small Craft 267 

starting it may be called on deck for something and 
forget to turn down the flow; then if he doesn't re¬ 
member again very soon it reminds him. 

Shipmate ranges. It is not right to call any coal 
or wood stove in a boat’s cabin a “Shipmate,” be¬ 
cause this is a manufacturer’s name and there are 
a number of other good stoves on the market. But 
because of persistent advertising and their wide use 
I am taking the liberty of putting all stoves of this 
type under the heading, as there are a number of 
other coal stoves which would not do at all aboard a 
small craft. 

When you come down to actual figures you will 
be surprised how small some of these stoves are 
made; yet they combine an oven for roasts, pies and 
bakes and a broad expanse of top upon which to 
arrange your pots. The beauty of either coal or 
wood stoves in cooking is that the whole top of the 
stove provides a fairly uniform and steady heat, so 
that the contents of the pots require less watching 
to prevent them from burning. A coal stove banked 
on a Saturday morning will be burning nicely when 
you get down from business in the afternoon; if 
banked at night during the chilly fall months you 
will have a good fire ready to cook breakfast in the 
morning. Indeed, we always leave our oatmeal in 
the steamer on the side, so that part of the per¬ 
formance is taken care of overnight. The wood- 


268 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

burning stove again has in its favor the fact that 
you may land almost anywhere and with axe and 
saw provide enough fuel to last a long time with no 
other expense than the exertion, which boating men 
never mind ( ?). 

THINGS THAT ARE GOOD TO COOK ON 
YOUR GALLEY STOVE AND BETTER 
TO EAT 

As we are on the water we will start by serving 
up some of the food that comes from it. 

Steamed Clams 

This is a very simple operation. Place the clams 
in a pot with about half an inch of water; boil till 
they open up. This will take about five minutes. 
If you place them in a steamer you will naturally 
cook them in the pure liquor. They will cook just 
as well this way, but will take a trifle longer. 

If you will then serve them on the half shell with 
a small piece of lemon and a cup of the liquor on the 
side, the result should be quite good enough for 
aboard ship. When we cook them—and that is 
quite often—we don’t even trouble to halve the 
shells; but we do see that vinegar, pepper, crisp pilot 
crackers and a goodly chunk of butter are on the 
table. 


Cooking Aboard Small Craft 



Baked clams are put in the oven rather than in a 
pot, until they do the same thing as in the former 
case; then you do the same thing to them. 



Clam Chowder 

Take twenty-five clams, cut them up, and save the 
juice. Now pour about half a pint of water into a 
pot and add these ingredients just as they are ready: 
3 potatoes chopped up, 2 onions chopped up, add 
about half a pound of salt pork, chopped up; or, if 
you haven’t this on hand, put in any meat bones or 
gravy that you may have. Add the juice of the 
clams and boil just as long as you like—the cook 
book says 2 ]/ 2 hours—then add the clams and a 
quart of milk fifteen minutes before serving. 

We never make chowder unless the cooked vege¬ 
tables happen to be left over from the previous meal, 
and in cooking we just boil till it tastes right— 
simply don’t see any reason for waiting longer. 




270 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 
Clam Fritters 

Take twenty-five clams and as you open them save 
the juice; cut out the black part inside, and if they 
are soft shells with long tongues, cut off the hard 
part. Preparing the clams may take some time at 
first, but you will soon find the knack of it. 

Mix a batter composed of 1 cup of self-raising 
flour, 2 eggs, and 1 cup of clam juice (if you have 
not saved a cupful, add sufficient milk to make up 
the quantity). Place the clams in this batter and 
ladle them out one at a time, with the batter that 
surrounds them, into a frying pan of boiling lard. 
Fry till brown. Serve: the gentlemen are waiting! 

Corn Fritters 

One cup self-raising flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, y 2 
can corn, 1 teaspoonful sugar. Mix into a batter 
and fry in meat fat or lard, a tablespoonful to a 
cake. You may, with dexterity, handle three at a 
time in the big skit. 



The gentlemen are waiting' 

on tkemselves 0 

Hot Cakes and Wheat Cakes 
Make up a batter as for corn fritters, but leave 


Cooking Aboard Small Craft 


271 

out the com. Fry the same way and eat as lustily, 
while hot, with butter and maple syrup or honey. 

Of Frying Fish in General and a Few in Particular 

Fish fry best in bacon fat. In the event of your 
not having any of this on hand, use lard, which is 
a grand old standby and if stored in an airtight can 
in a cool place keeps for a long time. Fry your 
fish till by placing a fork in the meat you can make 
it fall away from the bone. Do not forget to use 
salt. 

Fish coated with flour and bread crumbs will take 
on a nice brown skin which helps hold them together 
when very fresh. 

Shad 

Shad-bakes start the season with us fellows. 
Early in the year, ’way along about April or May, 
we run away up the Hudson and buy the fish fresh 
from the fishermen, these (fish, not fishermen) being 
the only ones we do not catch ourselves. Then, 
having selected a spot ashore near where there is 
a fresh running stream to clean the fish in, we start 
a fire. The fish are split right down the middle and 
the fins, backbone and head removed. The roe is 
saved for a breakfast fry with bacon. 

The fire is built on a rock foundation with rock 
walls, which will become very hot. Charcoal and 
wood are mixed to make the fire, and when the em- 


272 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

bers are a glowing red and another big wood fire 
has been kindled to provide illumination, we set the 
fish in the grid with a rasher of bacon on each side 
and start to fry, turning it from side to side before 
the fat has a chance to drop into the fire. On the 
other fire is placed a large pot, having in it sweet 
and ordinary potatoes and corn on the cob; and you 
would be surprised how the flavor of the one adds 
to the flavor of the other. Yes, sir, these are very 
happy days. 

Blackdsh 

Blackfish should be scraped to remove the scales. 
This is done by steeping the fish, one side at a time, 
for a few moments in scalding water, till the skin 
turns white. You will then find that by running the 
point of a sharp knife around the edge, so as to 
break the skin, a whole side at a time will peel off, 
leaving the white meat in splendid shape for the pan. 

Ling 

These you may catch by the hundred in the fall. 
There is not much sport in catching them, however, 
while to be good eating they should be boiled within 
an hour after killing. Then, again, I have tasted a 
ling that was superb. 

Cod 

These, too, are end-of-the-season fish, being 
caught out in the open sea anywhere from October 


Cooking Aboard Small Craft 


273 

till Christmas, or later if you don’t mind the cold. 
Cod is best when fried with a piece of bacon. 

Soup 

Tomato soup, bearing the name of a well-known 
manufacturer, is put up in cans. The soup and the 
directions combined cost but ten cents a can; you 
should always stock half a dozen of these for emer¬ 
gency. They take only five minutes to heat and 
serve. 


Sirloin, Porterhouse or Round Steak 

Have the steak cut of medium thickness and 
make sure that it is a good one when it leaves the 
butcher, so as to give you a chance to make an en¬ 
viable reputation as cook. Have the skit very hot 
with just enough fat in it to cover the bottom. Salt 
the meat on both sides and drop it in the pan. Fry 
for two or three minutes and then turn; fry again 
for about as long and turn, repeating the process till 
the steak is done to your liking. It should take 
three or four turns. 




' Slg'Ti.s of the times — Meal time 


Potatoes 

Boil till they are soft throughout when tested with 
a fork. Don’t forget to put salt in the water if you 








274 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

do not boil them in salt water from over the side— 
as we always do if the jackets are to be kept on. 

Sweet potatoes and others may be boiled together, 
but the sweets should go in afterward unless they 
are very large. 

Potatoes baked in a good hot oven will be a crack¬ 
ling brown on the outside and a floury white within. 
Break them open and serve with a lump of butter. 

Cabbage , Cauliflower and Sprouts 

have just to be put in a pot and boiled in water, with 

a little salt, till they are soft. They take about 

twenty minutes of boiling, a little less than the 

potatoes. 

Corn on the Cob 

should not be kept for more than a day before eating, 
to get it at its full milkiness. Tear off the outside 
leaves and put into a pot of boiling water; add salt 
to taste and a little sugar, but not enough to make 
the added sweetness to the corn noticeable. 

Fried Onions 

Slice the onions and fry in meat fat; put them in 
a dish when done and keep in a warm place; the 
open oven is a good place if you are not baking 
something. Now go ahead and fry the meat sepa¬ 
rately, serving it with the onions on top. 


Cooking Aboard Small Craft 


275 


Chops 

Lamb and pork chops are only a suggestion; they 
require no more direction than to salt, put in the 
pan, and fry till done to your liking. Remember 
always that pork is very indigestible if not well 
done. There is fat enough in the chops themselves 
for frying: you need only, therefore, put a very 
little grease in the pan to give them a start. 

A Spaghetti Feed 

This is the dish exactly as prepared by the Ital¬ 
ians, and to get the real flavor to the sauce you 
must follow the directions quite closely. The recipe 
was considered almost a secret by the native who 
gave it to me; at any rate, it is true that any di¬ 
vergence from his method has met with miserable 
failure on our part. 

Take one pound of spaghetti, the light weight 
sort which is about an eighth of an inch in diameter; 
but not vermicelli, which is too light. Break it 
sufficiently to get it into the pot and boil hard, with 
about half a teaspoonful of salt, for fifteen or twenty 
minutes, till it is quite soft. Pour off the boiling 
water, being careful that the spaghetti does not 
escape, cover again with fresh cold water and bring 
to the boil. When the water is again strained off 
the spaghetti is ready to serve. 

The Sauce. Slice two onions and fry with 1 tea- 


276 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

spoonful sugar in lard or olive oil, till they are a 
golden brown. Take a can of Italian tomato paste— 
you will find it at all grocers, and all the cans I have 
ever seen are of about the same size, holding around 
five tablespoonfuls—and add to it as much boiling 
water as you have paste. Now slide the frying pan 
to the side of the stove so that there shall not be too 
much of a splutter, at the same time pouring the paste 
onto the fried onions, stirring the while. Add pep¬ 
per and a pinch of salt and bring to frying point. 

Use Roman cheese on the spaghetti: it is very 
hard and dry, and light in color. It may go under 
one or two other names, but any large grocer or 
any small Italian should have it. 

Serve the spaghetti steaming hot. Pour the sauce 
over it and place a dish of grated cheese on the 
table. 

Baked Apples 

Take a long, pointed knife and cut a hole down 
into the top of the apple. Fill this hole with sugar 
and set a lump of butter on top so that as it melts 
it will run down through the sugar and into the 
fruit. Just sufficient water should be put in the bot¬ 
tom of the dish to keep it moist. Bake in a hot 
oven. 

To Make a Fruit Pie 

This is an English style of pie and because it is 


Cooking Aboard Small Craft 


277 

different from what we are used to having, and is 
not difficult to make, we will consider it. 

Pare and cut the fruit into pieces if it be apples 
or peaches, clean if it be raspberries and currants, 
or perhaps plums. Use enough fruit to fill the 
brown earthenware deep dish in which the pie is to 
be made. Now put the fruit into a saucepan with 
a cup of water and possibly half a cup of sugar, ac¬ 
cording to taste, and stew till nearly done. While 
the fruit is stewing make up the crust with the fol¬ 
lowing ingredients: 1 y 2 cups self-raising flour, y 2 
cup milk, 1 egg, y cup butter. Beat the egg and 
milk together and add to flour, stirring the while. 
Roll the paste out thin on a board and spread the 
butter on it evenly; fold in three and roll out again. 
Repeat this three times. Now place the fruit in the 
pie dish and set an inverted cup or something in the 
center to support the crust. Stretch the crust over 
the top. Make an anchor or hatchet of dough with 
which to decorate the top; punch a few holes in the 
crust with a fork to let the steam escape and place 
in a good hot oven for about twenty minutes. 

To Make a Cake 

One and a half cups self-raising flour, y 2 cup 
milk, 2 eggs, 1 desertspoonful sugar. Sift sugar 
milk, 2 eggs, 1 dessertspoonful sugar. Sift sugar 
to flour, stirring the while and dropping in a handful 


278 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

of currants or raisins if you like. Grease the pan 
with butter, pour the dough in and bake in a hot 
oven. 

I have not mentioned such things as ham or bacon 
and eggs, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, etc.—dishes 
that are both quickly and easily prepared without 
resorting to much preparation. I have taken it for 
granted that these things will suggest themselves to 
the average hungry man’s stomach. 

Galley Equipment 

Galley equipment should include the following: 


Large skit, for party steaks, fish, etc. 

Small frying-pan, for breakfasts. 

Two vegetable pots. 

One large pot, for boiling water, corn, etc. 

Kettle. 

Small saucepan, for boiling eggs or soups. 

Brown earthenware dish, for baking pies. 

Baking-pan, for roasts, baked apples, etc. 

Colander or strainer. 

Ladle. 

Grater. 

Basin. 

Garbage can (pail). 

Flour-board, for flouring fish, cutting meat, or rolling pie¬ 
crust. 

Rolling-pin. 


Chapter XVI 


GRAVESEND BAY TO SHELTER ISLAND— 
A CRUISE 

I T was a delightful evening on the bay; close to 
a hundred craft of the fleet swung idly to their 
moorings while the glimmer of a light here and 
there amongst them betokened an owner’s presence 
aboard. 

A halo round the moon, although the glass stood 
steadily at 29.9, had added one more subject to be 
discussed in the cabin, for there were ten of us— 
the owners and crews of three boats—and all had 
one thing in common: we were to start on a two 
weeks’ cruise the following morning. ’Way along 
under the after deck the reserve supply of bottles was 
filled with water, and with them were canned beans, 
canned corn, canned soup and canned milk, though 
we did not anticipate using much of any of it and 
were merely following up the theory that it is always 
best to prepare for emergency. Of coal and char¬ 
coal likewise we carried a supply, although wood 
279 


280 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

may easily be collected and sawn up on the beaches. 
Yet you will find an exception to the rule at Block 
Island, where very little wood grows and whatever 
drifts up on the shore is quickly collected by the 
natives. We had just finished a large meal, and as 
one man clinked his cup back into the saucer, he 
remarked casually, “Tell you what, fellows, we don’t 
always drink out of a yacht’s private chinaware.” 

Perhaps not: but this is the average yachtsman’s 
own fault, for it is quite easy to have your crockery 
marked with the club flag, the yacht’s name and your 
own particular symbol, if you like to cater to your 
vanity to the extent of having one. The special 
china for firing may be bought at any of the large 
department or china stores; in fact, one or two will 
fire it for you free of charge in consideration of the 
sale, while almost any of them will tell you where 
you may have it done. Painting in flat colors on 
china is quite simple—entirely different from work¬ 
ing in delicate tones, and although colors are liable 
to change a shade in the firing, if you first select a 
good red for red, it will stay red; and a blue will 
remain blue. I have found that Aztec Blue, Blood 
Red and Black work out admirably, gaining much in 
brilliance when fired. The colors are put up in a 
powder form, the oil with which they are mixed 
being sold separately. Place a little of one of the 
pure colors on a clean piece of glass and grind in 


A Cruise 


281 


oil to the right consistency and very thoroughly with 
a bright steel palette knife or bone paper cutter. 
The least trace of iron rust in the coloring will en¬ 
tirely spoil it when fired. 

Draw your design the correct size on a piece of 
paper and make a tracing of it. Wipe the china 
with a cloth dampened with turpentine, but be care¬ 
ful not to use more than is just necessary to give it 
a “tooth,” that it may take the tracing. Then, fix¬ 
ing the tissue in place, set a piece of carbon paper 
beneath it and trace off lightF with a fine pointed 
pencil. 

Each color will have to be put on in turn and left 
for a day to dry; thus you might put in all the red 
one day, on a number of dishes, all the blue the next 
and the black the next. The color must be mixed 
thick enough to be nearly opaque and must be spread 
sufficiently to prevent running. 

If you chance to make an error it is better to wipe 
the whole design off clean with a damp turps cloth 
than to attempt to correct the mistake. Care must 
be taken not to rub the painting before firing. 

But it is getting late while I have been digressing, 
and the halo round the moon smacks of wind. From 
the glass it looks like a northeaster, and the absence 
of both phosphorus in the water and dew on deck 
strengthens the forecast. So the crowd finally dis¬ 
perses to their own craft; five of them to an auxiliary 


282 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

sloop which, with a ten-horse engine and a short 
stretch of sail, comes nearer to being a motor-boat 
than a sailboat, and the others to a raised deck 
cruiser. 

The morning was gray, with wind from the 
northeast, as unsteady and treacherous as northerly 
winds generally are around these parts. We dropped 
the end of the chain that formed our home mooring 
in Gravesend Bay, and pivoting the little thirty-foot 
yawl round on her heel sailed through the fleet with 
a farewell to the friends we were leaving behind and 
the other two boats which were to follow shortly 
after and would catch us up when we headed Pen¬ 
guin into the wind to go up the East River. 

I have mentioned that we dropped the mooring 
chain, and incidentally the long, light chain and the 
buoy attached thereto. But the heavy rope spring 
that breaks the snap in a sea we had unshackled and 
stowed carefully away in the lazarette, that it should 
not be soaking in the mud of the bottom for the 
coming two weeks. We had started with a single 
reef in the mainsail and full jib and jigger and 
bowled up the bay before a puff that soon lost the 
fleet in the hazy shore line that lay between the gray 
sky and grayer sea. 

The Romafar and Gracelda, which were the other 
two craft in our little fleet, caught us off the Navy 
Yard, for they came along under power; and as it 


A Cruise 


283 

was a head wind all the way we were forced to switch 
on power too off Blackwell’s Island in order to keep 
up with them. We did very well with Gracclda, the 
auxiliary sloop, but the power cruiser went right on 
up and we saw no more of her that trip. Running 
under power, when heeling over in a head sea and 
smashing fairly into it, is not the best of practices 
nor the ideal way to take care of a boat; that is, if 
you think of her future. With the exception of a 
case such as this—we had to make slack water at 
Hell Gate on time—it should be avoided. 

Penguin is an auxiliary that tacks into the wind, 
with the engine running, faster than she can drive 
right into it under power alone, so Gracelda pulled 
away from us off Throgg’s Neck. But later in the 
afternoon the wind worked round to the northward 
and fell gradually lighter, as northeasterlies usually 
do. So we closed down power, shook the reef out 
of the mainsail, and slipped along very nicely on an 
easy wind and an easterly course, figuring on the 
six hours’ ebb and perhaps a little horsepower later 
taking us up to Lloydd’s Harbor by sunset. 

Brother yachtsmen who have sailed the waters of 
Long Island Sound will need no telling; but you 
who have not, make it a point on your next cruise 
that this little wooded cove at Lloydd’s Harbor shall 
be a calling place. 

To sail in, run up Huntington Bay. At the head 


284 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

of the bay is the splendid Beaux Arts Inn; away to 
the left stretches headland beyond headland as one 
bay loses itself in another, and to your right, as the 
steep brown shore thickly topped with trees breaks 
away to a short stretch of open water—beyond which 
you will be willing to bet your last penny there could 
be no other bay, so perfectly is it landlocked—you 
will sight two lighthouses, there for apparently no 
reason at all. If you will head right up between 
these two lights, the outer one of which has but 
recently been established, you will find as nice and 
snug a little cove as you could wish. Again, to 
starboard, as you clear the entrance you will find 
yet another bight. Swing up into this and drop 
your anchor. You will get nine feet of water till 
close up on the shore. 

We had furled sail and were having supper on 
deck while the gentle strains of an old mandolin 
melody I had once heard in France, and now had in 
record on the phonograph, mingled with the croak¬ 
ing of the frogs and the chirp of the crickets ashore, 
when from down the bay there came another cry; 
the cry from our partner ship. Truly we had won¬ 
dered what could have happened to them, thinking, 
of course, that they had made such good time that 
they had pushed on further; or else, being unable 
to find the way into the harbor, had run across to 
Northport. But there was one small item that had 


A Cruise 


285 

never entered our minds—namely, that the gasoline 
sometimes runs out, and that is just what had hap¬ 
pened. And while they had sailed into Oyster Bay 
in search of a gasoline station we had passed them. 
So we greeted them with great howls of joy and 
waved our riding light that they might distinguish 
us from the other craft. Slowly they crept up the 
bay on the last of the dying breeze, slid quietly into 
position and dropped anchor almost alongside of us, 
and while they furled sail, for they had been unable 
to find more gasoline, we rearranged the table and 
prepared for company. 

Although nothing of great importance had hap¬ 
pened on the trip up, there was one little incident, 
just as we had passed through Hell Gate, which 
should be narrated, for it certainly showed us the 
importance of good wiring connections. And as 
a tow of barges was rapidly overtaking us from 
astern, the tug tooting impossible directions on its 
buzzer, and since a rocky shore lay about fifty feet 
ahead, there is fair reason to believe we shall remem¬ 
ber the experience. 

The engine was running like a song when, with¬ 
out the least warning, she missed a spark and 
stopped dead. One of us immediately jumped down 
into the cabin and looked at the igniter—apparently 
nothing was wrong; looked, over the wiring—ap¬ 
parently nothing wrong; opened the petcock on the 


286 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

base of the carburetor to see if gasoline was feeding 
—everything all right; cranked the engine six times 
—it didn’t go! Then the engine expert was called 
into service, there being no more time for experi¬ 
ment. He tested first for a spark, which he did not 
get, and then immediately tackled the ignition. 
This was apparently in first-class shape, which, of 
course, was the discomforting element, and things 
were looking badly when all at once the “expert” 
happened to pull on a joint in the wiring which had 
caught his attention—and there lay the trouble. It 
was one of those connections made by scraping off 
the ends of the wire, crossing the one over the other 
and then twisting it around its own part. The con¬ 
tinual vibration had apparently worn away the cop¬ 
per so that the eyes ceased to bind, thereby break¬ 
ing the circuit. But why it should have happened 
at this particularly inappropriate moment only a 
gasoline engine could explain. 

So we were all very glad to be in Lloydd’s Har¬ 
bor, and early on the following morning, having tied 
the boats together and left the cook aboard, the rest 
went off in the dingheys to pick up a bucket of clams 
at the top of the cove. After breakfast, while things 
were being squared up aboard and sail set, four of 
us again took the dinks and caught a fine mess of 
flounders, on clam bait, by drifting between the inlet 
and the outer lighthouse. Indeed, had it not been 



Loading stores at Port Jefferson for the trip 





































A Cruise 


287 

for the lusty yells of the skipper and a chance of 
missing their passage, I doubt not but they might 
have filled the boat. 

As it was, a schedule had been arranged which 
called for our getting on round to Port Jefferson 
early in the day, so that, if the weather turned out 
fine, we might do what we had long wished— 
make a night run in company. There was little wind 
when we started out, but before we had got down to 
Eaton’s Neck both boats were booming merrily 
along in such good shape that the engine became a 
farce, and the towline a joke, in measuring our rela¬ 
tive speeds. So we took it in out of the way and 
without further adventure made Port Jefferson In¬ 
let, resorted to the towline again and ran up under 
power to the head of the spacious bay. 

You will find Northport or Port Jefferson splendid 
places for replenishing. There are good stores at 
each place, handy to get to, and you may run right 
up alongside of the icehouse and gasoline station. 

It was sunset again when we stood out toward 
the Sound, bucking the tide that runs so swiftly 
through the narrow entrance to the harbor. But 
there was a fine southerly wind blowing off shore, 
and Gracelda stretched every bit of canvas, for it 
was a fine, clear night and we counted on running 
through Plum Gut on the coming ebb. 

On our port quarter flashed the Stratford Shoal 


288 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Light, while beyond, on the northern shore, other 
lights flashed and blinked and stared in red and 
white. We hung a lantern over the stern, and by 
taking in the jigger and dropping the main peak a 
little so as to upset the spread of the sail, were able 
to keep good time with our sailing partner, who 
would have had things all her way had the wind 
slacked down a bit, in which case we should have to 
match our seven-horse against her ten—in a craft, 
too, that did not carry half of the three tons of 
ballast that hung beneath our waterline. 

At the time this trip took place, my brother and 
I were sailing Penguin, and carrying a paid hand 
to do the cooking, as we were living aboard the 
whole summer and going in to business from the 
boat; a very good way, I might add, for some of you 
single fellows to live, but offered here only as an 
excuse for having a paid hand on a vacation trip, 
when half the fun is in cooking and looking after 
the boat yourselves. 

At any rate, we had arranged watches for our¬ 
selves, four on and four off, for the boat was quite 
easy to sail single-handed and, having a screw steer¬ 
ing gear, the helm would stay where it was put; and 
when the boat was settled on her course the helm 
might be left long enough for the man on deck to 
attend to any odd job that might crop up. This 
arrangement allowed of the third party going below 


A Cruise 289 

to sleep till it was time to call him to get breakfast 
ready. 

It is one of the advantages of an auxiliary, or of 
a boat having her cabin entirely separated from the 
engine compartment, that you may sleep comfort¬ 
ably, free from the fumes of oil and gasoline. You 
may also cook good meals when under way, and on 
such a night as this you may keep a slow fire glow¬ 
ing in the Shipmate and a pot of hot coffee on the 
top. Again, you may burn a lamp over your chart 
table and altogether do things in a shippy way which, 
you will find, adds infinitely to the joys of the trip. 

After leaving Port Jefferson Breakwater we had 
set the course W by N magnetic, which should have 
taken us well up toward the Cornfield Point Light 
Vessel, but after picking up Falkner’s Island Light 
about ten miles out, Branford Shoal did not loom 
into sight on time. So I took the binoculars and 
climbed up a few of the hoops of the mainsail, and 
there it was almost abeam. This being a sign that 
the tide was setting us into the bight of the land, the 
course was made WNW, which put us about right 
by the time Cornfield Point Light Vessel was 
sighted. Horton’s Point Light was in sight at this 
time, but we used the Cornfield Light to steer by, 
laying the course so as to keep fairly well to the 
south shore in order to avoid traffic. 

As you run along the shore here you may be sur- 


290 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

prised at sighting a red light, when by the chart the 
only one you are to expect is the Orient; and you 
are liable, if steering from light to light without 
keeping a compass in front of you, to become a trifle 
confused. But upon more careful inspection of the 
chart you will find that you have reached the end of 
the island where it narrows considerably, and it is 
Long Beach Light you see, which is on the further 
shore. 

The first streaks of dawn were in the sky when 
Orient and Plum Island lights opened out before us. 
This is the most confusing time of the day and posi¬ 
tion by bearings should always be carefully verified, 
for shortly after daybreak the lights are extinguished 
and there is nothing to steer by. As a stranger, you 
cannot tell one point from another until it is light 
enough to see well and you are sufficiently near to 
distinguish a shore mark or make out the reading on 
one or two buoys, neither of which you can do at a 
ten-mile range. 

Early in the morning, then, we raced through the 
Gut, headed up into the wind and started to beat up 
to Shelter Island; but after a while we followed 
Gracelda’s lead and started the kicker going. It was 
a fairly long plug for a light-powered auxiliary, and 
when we dropped our mudhook in Derring Harbor, 
that picturesque cove on Shelter Island opposite 
Greenport, we were glad to find Gracelda lying to 


A Cruise 


291 


her anchor, her sails furled, her awning spread, the 
cockpit table set and ready to repay the hospitality 
of the night before, and her whole ship’s company, 
with the exception of the cook, spurting, splashing 
and kicking about in the water. 

But this did not finish the trip that we ran off in 
those two weeks—not by a long way. From Shelter 
Island we went to Block Island, with the aroma of 
the peat and the hay coming down over the fog- 
girt hills, and from Block Island by way of Watch 
Hill Point to Stonington. From there to the Con¬ 
necticut River, up which we cruised as far as East 
Haddam, and amongst other things bathed in fresh 
water, which seemed very odd to men who had 
bathed almost every day for years in salt water. We 
then left the Connecticut and went to the Thimbles; 
from the Thimbles to Northport, from Northport to 
City Island and from City Island back to our moor¬ 
ing in Gravesend Bay. 

This is not really a long trip and it certainly was 
not a rush one. Yet by plugging steadily along it 
shows something of the vacation the boating man 
may have without having a number of details of 
travel and baggage shipping to look after, his own 
private hotel being with him all the time. 


Chapter XVII 


GOING INTO COMMISSION 

I F you have a big crowd of willing workers to help 
you or can get down from town in daylight 
during the week to put on a coat of paint, you 
may wait for the balmy days of spring to commence 
putting your boat into commission. But if, on the 
other hand, you have not a large crowd and have 
only the week-ends to spare, then you should start 
early in March, for it is remarkable how quickly the 
eight or ten Sundays slip away between then and the 
time to get afloat. 

In arranging your work you should always lay 
out a double schedule; that is, for both fine and foul 
weather, so that should it turn out a sunny day you 
may go ahead outside, painting, puttying, caulking 
and varnishing; while if it is wet you may work in 
the cabin, fix the engine or scrape the spars. 

The work should, as far as the weather and cir¬ 
cumstances permit, be carried out in the following 
order, realizing, of course, that you cannot put three 
coats of varnish on in the cabin before starting out- 
292 


Going Into Commission 


293 

side, any more than you can wait till all the work is 
done inside before starting outside. The jobs must 
overlap one another, and this is merely the approxi¬ 
mate order in which it is best to take the work in 
hand: 

Fix the engine, or scrape the spars of a sail¬ 
boat; do both if it is an auxiliary. Wash the cabin 
paintwork, sandpaper the varnish, repaint and re- 
vamish. Clean out the bilges. Burn off or sand¬ 
paper the outside. Scrape and varnish the masts 
and brightwork. Attend to any caulking in decks 
or hull. Paint white outside. Varnish aloft. Paint 
the deck. Repack the stuffing box. Red lead prim¬ 
ing coat on bottom. Final white outside. Paint 
the boat’s bottom with anti-fouling composition. 

When painting or varnishing has to be done, see 
first that all sandpapering and scraping for the day 
have been finished and the decks swept off. Avoid 
carefully such combinations as a man aloft scraping 
and another painting the deck, or a man sandpaper¬ 
ing brightwork on deck while another is painting 
over the side. You should even take into considera¬ 
tion when working aloft what the fellow is doing on 
the boat to leeward of yours so as not to cover his 
wet paint with sand dust or shavings. As each of 
the various jobs under the foregoing headings has 
one or two points that are worthy of consideration 
we will take them as they occur. 


294 P RACTICAL Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Overhauling the motor and fuel supply 

You will find that after a full season’s running the 
piston bearings may have become worn. If the 
crank pin bearing is fitted with “shims” remove one 
or two as you see fit; but not so many that the result 
will be that the bearing binds the pin when screwed 
tight again. If there are no “shims” you must file 
the bearing till it clamps snugly round the pin. 



The cylinder head should be thoroughly washed 
with kerosene, the piston removed and, if carbon¬ 
ized, the rings should be removed and scraped. 

Replace or grind worn valves and see that the 
pump pipes are clear. 

When the engine has been put together again and 
before the brass fittings are attached, scrape the 
cylinder and fly-wheel, removing carefully all signs 
of engine oil. Then sandpaper and dust and give 



Going Into Commission 


295 

two coats of engine enamel, after which the oil cups, 
petcocks, igniter, etc., may be assembled. 

The gas tanks should he removed and rinsed out 
so as to leave no trace of sediment or of the water 
that may have formed in the bottom over a winter’s 



To compress a piston ring, To remove a piston ring 
in order that it may enter from its groove. Ex- 
the cylinder plained in Chapter IX 


sweating. Inspect the tanks for corrosion, and while 
you have them disconnected, blow out the gasoline 
piping. 

Spars 

Spars should be scraped with a steel cabinet 
scraper, and then sandpapered, dusted, oiled and 
given three coats of varnish. The oil, which must 
be either raw or boiled linseed, may darken the wood 
a trifle, but it soaks well in and preserves it. 

The Cabin Paintwork 

The cabin paintwork should be washed with a 
solution of soap powder and water, and when dry 












296 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

smoothed down with sandpaper; after which it 
should be dusted off with a cloth and painted. 

Cabin Brightwork 

Cabin brightwork, if not scraped down to the 
wood, given a coat of filler, and then varnished, 
should be sandpapered till the gloss is removed and 
also any possible sign of grease. If this is not done 
the varnish will “creep.” 

Strong washing powders should be avoided in 
cleaning off brightwork, as they take the life out of 
varnish and cause it to crack. 

The limbers 

Having painted and varnished the cabin and done 
all the big dirty work, and there being now no more 
refuse and suds to find their way down under the 
flooring, scrape out the limbers, wash off the ballast 
and paint any ironwork with red lead. If the boat 
has dried out well inside, it pays to paint the wood 
with oil containing a small quantity of tar. This, 
however, should be put on only once in a number of 
years. 

A composition of hot pitch, tar and linseed oil 
mixed together and poured down into the guilty 
places of an old, leaky boat will settle in the seams 
and work wonders. 

Burning Off 

Burning off may be done in the fine days of late 


Going Into Commission 


297 

fall after hauling out, in which case one or two coats 
of paint should be applied to protect the boat over 
winter. If burning is not done then you must start 
very early in the year to do it, as six coats of paint 
should follow each other—and six fine Sundays 
cover a long time. 

Burning off is a much easier proposition on hard 
wood than on soft. On cedar particularly you must 
take care not to play the torch too long on any one 
spot, or the wood will char and present a “wavy” 
finish which can be got rid of only by planing the 
boat off—quite a serious matter. Immediately the 
paint sizzles from the heat of the torch, slice off with 
the scraper as much as will come. If the boat has 
had many coats of paint it is probable you will have 
to work over it twice; but whatever you do, work 
for an even surface. Paint will not “take” over 
charred spots; they must be scraped right down to 
the wood. 

Paint Remover may sometimes be used in place 
of the burner, and if properly handled it will turn 
out very good results. 

Varnish 

Varnish should be softened with remover and then 
scraped off. After the varnish has been removed 
the wood should be left a while in the sun, if pos¬ 
sible, to allow any trace of the remover to evaporate. 


298 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

But care must be taken that the surface does not 
get wet before varnishing or it will turn black. 

Painting 

There are any number of good paints and enamels 
on the market. The manufacturers claim they are 
able to mix the ingredients more thoroughly and 
exactly by machinery than you can by hand, which 
seems to be a very fair claim. Nevertheless, the 
majority of men still prefer to mix their own white. 

A good standard white may be made by adding a 
quart of raw linseed oil to twenty-five pounds of 
pure white lead. Thin this down to a good working 
consistency by adding two quarts of turpentine and 
about half a pint of driers. Mix thoroughly. By 
adding a little white zinc or a large proportion, if 
you like, in place of an equal quantity of white lead, 
you will get a much whiter paint, and for inside 
work you may use less oil, as it has a tendency to 
produce a slight yellowish tinge in the color when 
dry. 

The priming coat outside should be mostly of oil 
and must be allowed to soak into the wood and dry 
thoroughly before the next coat is applied. Six thin 
coats of paint are better than three thick ones, inas¬ 
much as the average amateur is liable, when paint¬ 
ing, to start with a full brush and then spread the 
color a bit towards the end. In putting on a number 


Going Into Commission 


299 


of thin coats the variations are less marked and be¬ 
ing of more uniform thickness they dry out evenly 
and present a better surface in a shorter period of 
time. If you prefer a glossy finish, use yacht enamel 
in place of the two last coats of paint. 

Before painting the hull, go round with white lead 
and fill up any cracks or dents in the planking. If 
you use regular putty—that is, white lead with whit¬ 
ing added to the required consistency, say half of 
each—you must paint the seams first, or it will not 
take. There is no necessity to wait for this seam 
paint to dry. Seams that have just drawn apart the 
least bit are better left and filled only with paint, for 
the planking will swell again soon after the boat 
is in the water and force the putty out of such 
cracks. Wide crevices should be caulked. 

Caulking 

To prepare a seam for caulking, follow along it 
and pick out the old cotton or putty, scrape the edges 
smooth and leave a clean, open crevice. In large 
vessels oakum is used to caulk with; in large spaces 
on small boats, cotton is used, rolled out to the 
required thickness by hand. But for all ordinary 
purposes cotton wick provides the best medium. 

If it is a narrow seam the wick may be stretched 
straight along and pressed in with a knife, till it lies 
about an eighth of an inch beneath the planking. In 


300 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

caulking a wide seam you will have to be much more 
careful, as here there is ample opportunity for an 
expert to distinguish himself. The sketches show 
how the cotton should be first placed in the seam, 
using judgment as to the amount the seam will hold 
and also the manner in which the bights are re¬ 
peatedly looped over themselves till the cotton is 
equally distributed and all used up. A caulking iron 
has to be used for this. 

Two things you will have to be careful of. The 


F1R.ST MAKE LOOPS -THEN TUCK THEM 



AND REPEAT THE 
OPERATION TUI. THE COTTON IS 
EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE "SJLAM 


Fig. 149 


first is, not to force the cotton through the other 
side of the planking, and the second is never to pack 
a seam too tight; for the cotton as well as the plank¬ 
ing will swell if it gets wet and the result will be 
that either the former will buckle or the latter will 
come bulging out. Just tap the caulking into place; 
never hammer it in. 

Paint over the caulking, fill the seam with putty 
and smooth off level with the planking. 





Going Into Commission 


301 


Decks 

Decks require considerable care to make and keep 
them tight, as they are exposed so much to the full 
glare of the sun and changes in weather conditions. 
Elastic seam composition is one of the best mediums 
to use between the planking, directions for the use of 
which are much the same as for putty and are printed 
on the cans. Putty used for this purpose should be 
composed mostly of white lead and the seams should 
be well painted first. Caulking in most decks can 
be done with a single thread of wick pressed in with 
a wheel. 

A favorite place for a trunk cabin to leak is where 
it joins the deck. This can invariably be cured by 
raising the combing that surrounds the cabin and 
cockpit, packing white lead underneath and then 
screwing it back into place again. After scraping 
away the excess lead that oozes out from the pres¬ 
sure you will have a perfectly tight joint. The space 
around the mast and samson post, too, often requires 
attention. 

A varnished deck looks well, but has to be given 
a great deal of care, rubber-soled shoes being the 
only footwear permissible on it. On craft with little 
deck space outside the cockpit or on others where the 
deck is seldom walked, a varnished deck is worth 
while, but on cruising craft, wanted more for service 
than gloss, a good deck paint used in harmonious 


302 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

and sensible combination with brightwork combings 
that are not trodden underfoot will produce a much 
more satisfactory result. 

For painted decks the green-gray tones have a 
point in their favor which is worth mentioning; they 
do not reflect the sun’s rays as do the yellows, and 
when one comes to think what a relief it is to the 
eyes to have one spot to rest on where they have not 
to encounter the dazzling brightness of the sun or 
its reflected rays, it becomes a point very well worth 
considering. Bright, glossy yellows are the worst 
from this viewpoint. 

Preparing the boat’s bottom 

The peculiar thing about bottom paints is the way 
each man seems to swear by his own pet brand and 
stands flatly against all others. The solution seems 
to be not so much in the paints as in the way they are 
applied, and also the fouling qualities of the water 
in which the boat lies and the amount of wear and 
tear to which she is subjected. I have seen two boats 
painted with the same composition, properly applied; 
yet one had to be taken out for scrubbing and 
a coat of paint in mid-season, and even when hauled 
out in the fall had again accumulated a mass of weed 
and barnacles; whereas the other boat, lying in the 
same waters over the same period of time, had only 
the least scum of green on her when she came out 



A substantial rope spring capable of taking up the jerk 
of the chain should be part of your mooring 



Launching. The cradle has been slid to the end of the 
tracks, and the incoming tide will float the boat 





















































































Going Into Commission 


303 

in the fall—five months in the water without being 
touched. It may not be amiss to say something of 
the way the color was* applied on this latter boat. 

First, the bottom of the boat was sandpapered and 
then, before applying the anti-fouling paint, was 
given a coat of red lead and linseed oil. You will 
probably be told by half a dozen sea lawyers that 
red lead is meant for iron, that it should be mixed 
with water to break it up, or that it will cause the 
paint to peel; indeed, you may be told a whole lot 
of things. But if you care to go right ahead and 
put two good coats of anti-fouling composition over 
this priming color, allowing about a week between 
each coat of paint, you may rest easy on the matter 
of having a clean bottom all season, provided the 
boat is moored where there is a tide and is suffi¬ 
ciently used. Little used craft lying in still water 
accumulate a large amount of undergrowth. 

It is very important when applying copper paint 
that it be stirred every few minutes to keep it from 
settling. 

Always cut a dark, heavy-bodied color in over a 
white or light-bodied one. 

To Cut in a Water Line 

To cut in a water line if it is not already indented 
in the boat’s planking, procure a long flat batten, 
say two inches wide and half an inch thick, and get 


304 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

somebody to hold the other end. Start at either 
end of the boat, keeping the batten vertical and 
bring it up against the planking. Draw in the line 
with a pencil or, for permanency, cut it in with the 
sharp end of a file. 

The Stuffing Box 


The stuffing box should be unscrewed and re¬ 
packed each season. Rawhide, cotton wick or pack¬ 



ing may be used for this purpose. We prefer the 
square packing. You will find it at the engineer 
supply houses and will want one of the smaller sizes; 
better take the outer cap of the stuffing box along 
so as not to get the stuff too thick. Cut the packing 
in lengths that just reach round the shaft and form 
it into rings, fitting them into the stuffing box so that 
the joints are opposite on each ring. 

When these tallow-loaded rings are set in place, 








Going Into Commission 


305 

grease the tail of the shaft, slide the cap along it and 
screw up. Use no force: simply screw up firmly and 
leave for a while, till the packing squeezes into place. 
Next week, or before “going overboard,” screw up 
tight enough to feel the stuffing take the shaft when 
the engine is turned over and then screw up the nut 
that locks the stuffing box. 

The Propeller 

Do not put the propeller on backwards. You will 
note that it is bored to fit the shaft perfectly. There 
is a key pin also to look out for, and locknuts to go 
on the end of the shaft. 

Salt Water Piping 

Clear all salt water inlets and outlets. Before 
“going overboard” take a piece of wire and draw it 
in and out through the self-bailing pipes so as to 
clear away any marine growth that may have taken 
hold there. All salt water piping should be cleared 
in this manner. 

Launching 

Launching, or putting the boat overboard, as it is 
commonly expressed, is much the reverse of hauling 
out save that it represents rather less work, and per¬ 
haps a trifle more caution, for once the craft starts 
on her slide down the ways, a little oversight in the 


306 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


laying of them generally means a great deal of 
trouble. Still if you will do each part of the work 
thoroughly and consistently you need have no mis¬ 
givings and will experience one of the biggest thrills 
of the season when the wedge is tapped away from 



SHORED VP IN THE YACHT YARD 



Raise the bow and sude bearer into -place 


EU 


^Nail woodep straps 
uoderqe&tb tbf bearers, at)d 
—fm sheet iroptyere.it fora 
tyeavy boatapda low grade. 

Arrangement op guides 

UND£R bearers b «rer-<-~F 

Srriv_i=B=#T 



.Wood?p strap; a/Bei 
ipside. tlje tracks; 



Scrape away a 
little of t^e sapd. 
FITTING THE TRACKS 


Plat board 


Fore apd jolapk. 

^.Biock to tyold ^tyore iip {*lace. 


Track 

BOW VIEW or CRADLE. 



Riitytyiijg’ Board projects 
so as to lap 01? to tycxt track) 
■Strap 



THE CRADLE TimSHED -AHt> READY TO SLIDE 
WHEN THE WEDGE IS REMOVED 



Another, way op 

JOINING TRACKS 


PUT THE PLUG IN 

a 

Iron) tbe outside, be-fore 
launcbityg tbe boat. 


Fig. 151 

the ciadle and you feel your “shippy" slide over the 
greased tracks, fly down over the incline and ease 
up as she nears the end, several feet below tide 
water. 
















































Going Into Commission 


307 


Let us suppose your boat to be lying in the yard, 
shored up as above. Most boats are disposed thus. 

Slide the runners under her on either side, just 
within the props; which means directly beneath the 
bilge. Pry up the bow sufficiently to slide a cross 
bearer—this is usually a railroad tie—under forward 
to take the weight of the boat, and let each end pro¬ 
ject about a foot beyond the runner it rests on. A 
wooden strap should be nailed on the lower side of 
the bearer to prevent it sliding off the track when 
the cradle starts to slide. We have, when launching 
a heavy boat, placed a piece of stout sheet metal 
round the ends of the bearers, where they rest on the 
track, with great success. The metal must be nailed 
securely to the top and sides of the log, but no nails 
should be driven through the under surface. When 
this metal gets on the grease, provided there is any 
incline, there is no more heaving; and if the tracks 
are well greased before the cross bearers are placed, 
all you should have to do is to release the wedges, 
give the cradle a tap with the maul and run with 
the boat, steadying her as she goes. 

But to get back to the cradle. 

Having rested the forward weight of the boat on 
the bearer, proceed to chock off on either side and 
then in a similar fashion pry up the stern, slide in 
the after cross bearer and chock up again. Now 
nail a fore and aft plank to span between the bearers, 


308 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

one on either side of the boat—and the cradle is 
completed. Where there is any possibility of the 
•boat starting to slide before you are ready, you 
should insert wedges between the cross bearers and 
the track. 

If there is a flat haul before reaching the incline, 
you will either have to rig a tackle or use a pry. 
Again if the incline is very steep it may be best to 
keep a checking line on the cradle to prevent its 
shooting clear off the end of the runners. 

Tracks should be well greased and great care 
taken that no sand collects on them. It is generally 
best not to grease the last runners, however, and 
even to drop a little sand on them so as to check the 
boat as it nears the end. As the grade of each 
beach, the weight of the boat and the quality of 
grease will vary materially in any given case, you 
may vary the above formula as common sense dic¬ 
tates. Many small boats up to about twenty-two 
feet are easily launched by placing them on rollers. 
You may derive a great deal more information along 
these lines by reading the chapter on hauling out. 


Chapter XVIII 


MOORINGS 

M OORINGS consist, so far as concerns the 
piece of heavy junk that sinks in or holds 
on to the bottom, of anything from a cement 
block to a car wheel. But somewhere amid the 
amazing mixture that lies between is one known, 
from its shape, as the mushroom anchor. It is by 
far the most widely used of moorings and will there¬ 
fore receive our chief consideration. 

And even though we are considering the mush¬ 
room as the mooring, it is by no means the entire 
outfit, for in addition there is the chain that stretches 
between it and the spring, the rope spring that takes 
up on the jerk of the chain and is made fast aboard, 
and lastly the buoy with its length of light chain 
that marks the position of your mooring when you 
are away and enables you to pick it up when you get 
back. 

Before purchasing a mooring it will be necessary 
to find out quite a number of things about the waters 
in which you intend placing it. Following are the 
main points you must determine : 

309 


310 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

What is the most severe weather that may be ex¬ 
pected ; how deep is the water; how much room will 
there be to swing and clear the other boats; and 
what is the composition of the bottom ? Every one 
of these factors will change your requirements ma¬ 
terially. Remember that it is the one big blow of the 
year you must guard against and not the average 
weather. When boats are so crowded in a harbor 
that there is hardly sufficient space to allow of a 



The bulb and plain shank mushroom anchors 

long swing of chain, you must use a heavier mooring 
to make up for this shortening and attach a weight 
to the middle of the chain to take up on the jerk of 
the boat in a seaway. 

We will now proceed to rig a real mooring, one 
that you may leave your boat hanging to with the 
happy feeling of assurance that she is there to stay. 
First comes the mushroom, and mushrooms are 




Moorings 


divided into two types—plain, everyday mushrooms 
and bulb mushrooms. The bulb shank differs from 
the ordinary kind in that it has a bulb of iron at the 
top of the shank which has the effect of toppling- it 
over more readily and induces the head to sink some¬ 
what so that the cutting edge of the anchor is pre¬ 
sented to the bottom and it sinks more quickly and 
deeply. A lump of old chain wound into a ball 



Fig. 153 

When the mooring is placed 
at right angles to the 
weather a heavy strain is 
liable to bend the shank 
or break the anchor out 


Fig. 154 

An anchor toppled toward 
the storm quarter will trip 
and lose its hold instead of 
biting deeply into the bot¬ 
tom 


round the top of the shank is claimed to give the 
same result. 

You may use either the bulb shank or plain mush¬ 
room, as suits your fancy; but in selecting the size 
bear in mind that the same holding power on a hard, 
sandy bottom will require about three times the 
weight necessary on a soft, muddy one. We have 
left a hundred-pound mushroom for a week in the 
muddy bottom of Echo Bay and had a hard tussle 
to get it out again, yet we have had an anchor weigh¬ 
ing well over 300 pounds for three seasons in the 




312 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

sandy bottom of Gravesend Bay and broken it out 
at the end of that time, with the use of a tackle, 
quite easily. 

The mushroom should lie on the bottom, with its 
head toward the quarter from which the heaviest 
storms are to be expected. You will see by these 
sketches what the result may be if this is not done. 

Two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds 
is a fair weight for the mushroom of a thirty-foot 



A boat drives back and jerks on a light mooring, when she 
would ride easily to a heavy one 

boat, lying in exposed waters and anchored in a hard 
bottom. Fifty to a hundred feet is a reasonable 
length for the chain and three-eighths or half an inch 
is a good weight; though perhaps the best arrange¬ 
ment is to use both, allowing about seventy feet of 
half-inch and thirty feet of three-eighths and placing 
a swivel between. The heavy end should then be 









Moorings 


313 

shackled to the mooring and the light end made fast 
to the so-called “spring” which holds the boat. 

When you cannot get one shackle large enough 
for the ring of the mushroom and small enough for 
the chain, use two shackles as shown in the sketch. 
Always seize the pin to a shackle after screwing it 
in, to prevent it working loose. 

The “spring” is a stout rope long enough to take 
up on the jerk of the chain when the craft drives 
back in a heavy sea and short enough to clear the 
water under ordinary conditions when made fast to 
the samson post on deck. Generally the spring should 
be about six feet long, though it takes considerably 
more rope than that to make it, on account of the 
large eye in one end and the small eye spliced round 
a thimble in the other. If you have not rope suffi¬ 
ciently heavy, one of the best forms of spring may be 
made by laying up two smaller ropes together. This 
provides really more “give” or “spring” than the 
solid piece, although it is perhaps more cumbersome 
to handle. 

Just below where the spring is shackled on, the 
light chain of the mooring buoy should be made fast. 
This chain should be amply long to reach bottom at 
the highest tides, and where there is a strong current 
should be still longer to prevent the buoy getting 
drawn down beneath the surface. 

Buoys are of a number of kinds, those most used 


314 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

being square cork buoys, canvas-covered cork buoys, 
can buoys and spar buoys. If you get a square cork 
buoy it is best to make it one of the smaller sizes 
so that it may be easily lifted out of the water, bear¬ 
ing in mind that the weight will be a good deal more 
after it has been in use a year or two than when 



you try it in the store. A large buoy may be well 
painted and left in the water so that you need simply 
make fast to the ring when mooring. The trouble 
that we have always found, however, with any sort 
of buoy that is left afloat is that on fine nights the 
boat will ride up over her mooring and the continual 
tapping at the bow has spoiled our rest. A metal 




Moorings 


315 


buoy has chewed up the paint under these conditions. 
Can buoys are light, easily picked up and perhaps 
the cheapest on the market, so long as they do not 
come in contact with the propeller of your own or 
somebody else’s boat. 

But the best of all buoys, at least to our way of 
thinking, is one that you can make yourself. The 
formula is very simple: Saw from an old spar or a 
light mast a log four feet long, and with brace and 
bit drive a hole through it near the top and another 
at the bottom. The lower hole must be large enough 
to take the buoy chain and the one at the top to take 
the splice of a grommet. Give the spar a good coat 
of oil and follow it with one or two coats of 
paint, finishing up with the club colors or your own 
favorite. Now pass a piece of rope through the hole 
for the grommet, cutting it so that the ends may be 
long enough to make a short splice and leave a ring 
large enough to be easily caught. Don’t make the 
ring so large that it will lop over and hang in the 
water, and do not have the rope of such thickness 
that the splice will not draw into the hole in the 
buoy, fitting tightly so as to hold the ring in posi¬ 
tion. If you will follow out these few do’s and 
don’ts you will have a mark over your mooring that 
is easily distinguishable and easily picked up, for the 
weight of the chain at the lower end causes the spar 
to float perpendicularly; a buoy that is light to 


316 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

handle and lasting, a buoy that is unsinkable and 
easily made; surely a combination of all that is best 
in buoydom. 

To Place a Mooring 

If the waters are not already crowded with a 
number of other craft you will simply have to choose 
what you feel to be the most desirable position. But 
where there are a number of other moorings already 
laid—usually the case around large cities—you will 
have to use quite a little judgment unless you do not 
care about shifting two or three times through foul¬ 
ing the swing of some other boat. In some yacht 
clubs the fleet captain or a committee usually takes 
care of the positions of the boats, the club steward 
placing the moorings according to their instructions. 
You should in any case consult with the steward be- 
before dropping a mooring, for he is the man who 
has the fleet perpetually before him and should know 
best where berths are vacant. 

When you have decided between just what boats 
you are to lie, the next step is to place the mooring 
in the right position between them so that when you 
swing down on the tide you will not run foul of one 
that may have a shorter sweep of cable or another 
that may have a longer sweep, although swinging 
the other way owing to her difference in construc¬ 
tion. Choose a day when there is or has been sufifl- 


Moorings 


317 


cient wind to make each craft stretch her cable its 
full length and then judge approximately where the 
mushrooms lie, for buoys of their own accord will 
merely float down a little way from the end of the 
chain, although the latter may stretch fifty to a hun¬ 
dred feet in any direction. Having found the exact 
position, take bearings of it, for the boats will in all 
probability swing, thus throwing you out of reckon¬ 
ing when you come out with the mooring. Other 
things will also monopolize your attention. 




A small mushroom may be slung from the stern 
of a dinghey, suspended by a slip line the end of 
which should be made fast to the thwart. The oars¬ 
man then sits on this so that he may easily release it 
without changing his position. 

The chain must be coiled clear in the boat so that 
it will run with no chance of fouling when the anchor 
is dropped. Have the buoy attached and do not 
make the same mistake as did one we knew, who for- 












318 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

got to take a buoy along when dropping his mooring 
and had to stay holding on to the chain till the fel¬ 
lows ashore, wondering what was the matter with 
Jones, sent aid. 

To carry out a heavy mooring where a regular 
float cannot be procured, roll the mushroom down 
the beach at low tide and stand it shank up. Then, 
as the tide rises, float two dingheys over it with a 
spar lashed across them and make fast the ring of 
the anchor to the spar. Have the mooring chain 
shackled up and everything ready so that as soon as 
the tide is high enough the whole rig may be floated 
off to where you wish to let go; but before cutting 
the lashing that holds the weight, pay enough chain 
either into the bowl of the anchor or along the bot¬ 
tom of the bay to let it have a clear drop without 
the possibility of a running chain fouling a boat’s 
side and ripping the planking out. When the mush¬ 
room is first dropped it will probably rest on the bot¬ 
tom shank up, and your first job with the big boat 
should be to topple it away from the storm quarter. 

To Raise a Mooring 

Tie up short at low tide; that is, take in all the 
chain you can get. Take down carefully bearings of 
the position if you wish to get back in the same berth 
next year. Then watch carefully, for as the tide 
rises the boat will lift the mooring with it. 


Moorings 


3 l 9 


If you do not wish to wait while the tide rises 
you may rig a block and fall so that the block hooks 
into a strap as far down the chain as can be reached 
and the fall leading through a bowchock is taken to 
a tackle or windlass. This may be varied somewhat 
on a sailboat where the throat halyard block may be 



A luff tackle attached to a 
single block and fall will 
raise an ordinary mooring 



Fig. 160 

Throat halyards attached to 
single block and fall and 
taken to windlass 


unshackled from the gaff and the end of the single 
fall made fast to it. Then by hauling on the hal¬ 
yards or taking them to a windlass you will have 
a very powerful purchase. 


Sinking a Mooring Over Winter 

There are several ways of keeping track of a 
mooring over winter without taking it out of the 
















320 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

water. Some men remove the light chain and make 
fast the heavier one to a big spar or log. Again, 
others take off the buoy and after stretching the 
chain across the bottom as far as they can, just let 
go, relying upon bearings and a grapnel in the spring 
to pick it up again. The trouble with this plan is 
that the chain often buries itself two or three inches 
in the bottom over winter, making it very hard to 
recover. 

The best method that we know of is to get a chock 



of wood or a length of spar about three or four feet 
long, according to the weight of the chain. Bore a 
hole through one end of it and apply a coat of tar 
or anti-fouling composition. Next, having removed 
all but the heavy lower chain of the mooring, take a 
piece of light chain about six feet long and having 
rove it through the hole in the buoy shackle the ends 
of this to the end of the heavy chain. Now, having 
taken a bearing of the mushroom, stretch the chain 
along the bottom; take bearings again and let go 
the buoy. The weight of the chain will sink the 
wood, but that will not prevent it from floating per- 






Moorings 


321 


pendicularly several feet from the bottom, so that, in 
the spring, by going along with two dingheys about 
sixty feet apart and a bight drag line, rigged as 
shown in the sketch, between them, you may easily 
locate it, and by making one or two turns round the 
buoy hook it up. 


Chapter XIX 


DINGHEYS 

A LWAYS, upon purchasing a dinghey, the 
question arises, “Shall it be a round or flat- 
bottomed boat ?” and the question is usually 
answered, “Buy a round-bottom dinghey if you have 
the cash to spare”— very foolish answer indeed. 

Merely because a round-bottomed boat represents 
more labor to build and therefore costs more to buy, 
it does not necessarily follow that she is the boat to 
fill your requirements best. True, she is easier to 
tow, and a well-modeled craft of this type is a bet¬ 
ter boat in bad weather, easier to row and drier for 
passengers. But the water in which many boatmen 
row their dingheys is not often rough, and when it 
is, a club launch will usually take the passengers 
ashore. On the other hand, these personages are 
sometimes portly, in which case a flat-bottomed boat 
is much easier to climb in and out of and adds 
greatly to their peace of mind. This type of dinghey, 
too, is much easier to run up on a flat shore either to 
land a party or go clamming; it is a better and much 
more comfortable boat to fish from and, drawing as 
3 22 


Dingheys 


323 


it does less water than a round-bottomed boat carry¬ 
ing the same load, becomes particularly desirable in 
some localities. 

The dory built tender, which has a narrow, flat 
bottom and a big flare to the sides, forms a splendid 
boat for towing and a dry and safe craft in bad 
weather. For a crowd of fellows cruising, this type 
cannot be improved upon; but people unused to boats 
are liable to feel less safe in this type of craft owing 
to the ease with which it lists over either way if the 
weight is not kept directly in the center. 

But for the yachty craft, where speed and appear¬ 
ance are necessary requisites the round-bottomed 
dinghey is wanted. It will tow easily, is light and 
quick to get around in, but is altogether so attractive 
with brightwork finish and brass oarlocks that it 
forms a terrible temptation to small boys and others 
of less innocent design if left at landings and floats 
when you are away cruising. Therefore, although 
the round-bottomed dinghey has its good traits, one 
with too much varnish and brasswork is a great care 
for those who expect to land elsewhere than at the 
floats of high-toned yacht clubs during their cruises. 

It always pays to have a skiff, even for boats of 
less than twenty-five feet in length. A little flat-bot¬ 
tomed tub will do, so long as it is large enough to 
get aboard with, to putter about while lying at a 
mooring or to bring the boat up to the float to take 


324 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

anyone else aboard. Craft of less than twenty-five 
feet seldom need to tow a dinghey, as they can 
usually run up to a landing and the drag astern 
when under way detracts too much from their 
progress to make it worth while. The dinghey is 
therefore left tied at the mooring when a trip is to be 
made. 

With boats of from twenty-five to forty feet in 
length, the dinghey is a speed item to be considered, 
for the drag even in craft of this size makes material 
difference in the resultant speed, particularly in the 
faster types of boats. For, whereas a heavy aux¬ 
iliary yawl may tow a twelve-foot, flat-bottomed 
dink at a loss of about a mile an hour, a fine lined 
afternoon boat would probably lose two miles or 
more. Such a boat should be equipped with a smart, 
round-bottomed tender. 

The keel and deadrise of a round-bottomed 
dinghey give her a tendency to follow straight after 
the towline; but the flat-bottomed craft, although it 
will follow straight enough in smooth water, if 
lifted with a skeg, will yaw badly in a beam or 
quartering sea. 

A dinghey should always trim a trifle by the stern 
when empty, but should not run her bow high out 
of the water, so as almost to stand on end, when 
under way. At that angle she presents excessive 
resistance and tows heavily, and with a following sea 


Dingheys 


325 

is liable to fill. As nine times out of ten the dinghey 
will be towed astern, it is evident that good towing 
qualities are of prime importance, and therefore the 
smaller the towing boat the more important these 
qualities become. 

In making long runs in heavy weather it is usually 
best to haul the dinghey aboard and lash it on the 
cabin roof or place it in the cockpit. This is where 
lightness counts. 

A dinghey placed upside down on the cabin roof 
will shed water, whereas one the other way up will 
hold it and consequently become a source of danger 
in a high sea, for a dinghey filled by a breaking 
comber forms considerable top weight. 

Davits are handy for hoisting a dinghey out of the 
water on a boat that is large enough to have them. 
They should be kept swung inboard whenever pos¬ 
sible and always when under way. 

You will note by watching astern that there are 
two or three waves that always follow the boat when 
under way. These are the “stern waves,” and the 
dinghey will tow better if you allow enough painter 
so that she skims along on the top of one of them 
rather than, we will say for example, lying just be¬ 
hind it; in which case she would always be in the 
act of climbing a sea. In heavy weather it is often 
best to tow the dinghey from the weather quarter. 

As regards the choice between a lap-streak and a 


326 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

smooth seam dinghey, the numbers of each in use 
appear to be very evenly matched, though personally 
I prefer the smooth seam boat. The smooth seam 
presents less resistance to the water and therefore 
forms a faster and easier towing type of craft. She 
is easier to repair than a planked craft, for should 
a hole be poked in her planking the smooth inside 
makes it a simple matter to fit a new piece of wood 
between the ribs or wherever the damage may be. 
It is possible, on the other hand, that the double 
thickness of the wood and the riveting where the 
planks overlap on the other style of boat make her 
a stronger craft. 

All dingheys,. whether round or flat-bottomed, 
should have gratings on the flooring so that water 
may be kept from, the occupants’ feet. 

Patent oarlocks, that fall in-board but cannot be 
removed from their sockets, are best at least amid¬ 
ships, for they assure you of always having a pair 
in readiness in the boat which can neither fall over¬ 
board when unshipping an oar nor be borrowed when 
you are away. 

The ideal dinghey should have a stem that cuts 
away just as it nears the water and rises, when 
traveling, just high enough to skim the surface. It 
should be light enough for one man to lift aboard 
the boat or onto a float. It should have freeboard 
enough to keep the passengers dry and be round and 



The flat-bottomed dinghey is easily run ashore to make a 

landing 



Towing on the stern wave 










































































































































































































































Dingheys 


327 

full-bodied enough to provide wonderful carrying 
capacity for a craft of its length. It should be very 
strongly built to withstand this heavy weight when 
loaded, as also the jerk of the towline when racing 
after the big boat in a treacherous sea. The thwarts 
should be low enough and the bottom flat enough to 
prevent its being “cranky,” and the oarlocks and 
thwarts should be placed so that the boat will trim 
right with one, two, or more passengers. Do not 
wonder then, when you hear the figures, that the 
prices range higher on dingheys than on rowboats 
of the same overall length. 

In round-bottomed dingheys you may find a nine- 
foot one with four feet beam and a weight of eighty 
pounds for $30. This craft will carry either two 
people or one man and a cargo; she is suitable for 
boats of from twenty-five to thirty feet in length, 
though perhaps a ten-foot dink would be better if 
you anticipate taking off any parties, as it will mean 
fewer trips and a boat more capable of carrying a 
load in rough weather. Indeed, for a thirty to 
thirty-five-foot boat, 125 pounds is not too much to 
allow for your dinghey, and $50 to $75 is about 
right for the cost. Flat-bottomed craft range any¬ 
where from $25 to $50 for a ten to twelve-foot 
dinghey, according to the model, the finish and the 
builder. 


328 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

Power tenders are suitable for yachts of forty- 
five feet or more. A tender fitted with a ij 4 to 
2-h. p. engine will make about six miles an hour and 
weigh about 320 pounds. 


Chapter XX 


HAULING OUT AND LAYING UP 

O SORRY day! Have you ever perhaps heard 
the remarks of the chronic pessimist as he 
hangs about a yacht yard in spring and 
watches the boatman spread the final touches of 
white over his shippy’s glistening sides? “Oh, yes, 
you’re afraid of a mosquito settling on it now, but 
in four months you won’t much care what she looks 
like.” 

And Mr. Pessimist is sometimes right, but not 
always; for hauling-out time to some of us is the 
sorriest time of the year. How we dread that day 
when the skipper mentions that it must be the last 
sail of the season and that we had better get back 
early to unbend sail while it is still dry. 

HAULING OUT 

But just when you should haul out is a matter 
which only local conditions and your own inclina¬ 
tions can determine. Boats leave the water any¬ 
where from the first of October till about Christmas, 
but many of those who haul out early belong to that 
329 


330 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

great herd of boating men who allow themselves to 
be bamboozled by the weather year after year. 
Every year, as regularly as the seasons come and go, 
we have a spell of dirty weather in late September 
or early October, and just about as regularly do we 
have a spell of clear bright weather after it, a spell 
that lasts well into November and sometimes later; 
while as far as fishing and shooting are concerned, 
this is the very time of the year of which the sports¬ 
man lives in anticipation. Therefore, I should say, 
if you lie to a good mooring in a sheltered harbor, 
if you intend having the boat hauled out for you, 
and if your blood runs warm enough to enjoy the 
snap of these clear, crisp days in fall, you may easily 
carry your season on into November or December. 
On the other hand, if your boat lies in exposed 
waters and you intend hauling out yourself, it will 
pay you to get busy in October ; especially with a 
deep draft boat. 

It is quite possible that where you haul out there 
may be a permanent track and it is scarcely probable 
that your boat will draw or weigh more than the 
one which we will haul now by way of example. 

Arrange to haul out at full moon if you can, when 
the tides are highest and the nights lightest. Fail¬ 
ing in this, with a deep draft boat, take advantage 
of the tides following the new moon. 

Raise your mooring the week-end before hauling 


Hauling Out and Laying Up 331 

out. Often it pays to run up to the club float and 
pass ashore sail, life belts and such stuff that is really 
better out of the way and has to be stored over 
winter anyhow. 

Building the Cradle 

One or two tides before you intend coming out, 
build the cradle. Start by laying the tracks as far 
out as the low tide will allow you, or as far as is 
necessary for there to be water enough over the 
cradle when the tide rises to raise the boat. In other 
words, the depth of water has to be the draft of the 
boat plus one foot allowance for the cradle. This 
depth should be verified by some nearby jetty or 
post. The tracks must be well greased and—if the 
boat to be hauled draws more than four feet—may 
have to be carried out into the water and weighted 
down with sash weight or other ballast to settle 
them on the bottom. Next get the cross bearers, 
which usually consist of railway ties, and lay them 
across the tracks at a measured distance that will 
allow of one resting about two feet abaft the engine 
when the boat settles in the cradle and the other 
where it will take the bulk of the forward weight of 
the boat; that will be approximately in the same 
position as in the diagrams. Do not trust to your 
eye; either get the plans of the boat or measure 
along the hull, for otherwise the chances are that 


332 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


you will make the cradle altogether the wrong size. 
For instance, a heavy thirty-foot sailboat with a 
rocker keel may want a cradle exactly eleven feet 
long, while a power boat of the same length might 
do with anything from twelve to twenty. With 





Fix ^uide posts to the ends of Chock the boat up securely - 
beaters hi^Sh enough to reach using' either irons or wood- 
above water at KySk tide eo straps to prevent slipping 


Fig. 162 


some boats it is much more important than with 
others that the cradle should be just the right length. 

The bearers are held the correct distance apart by 
the fore and aft planks. These may be of 2" x 10" 
timber secured with five-inch nails. Alongside the 
fore and aft planks, rig the bridle. 



































Hauling Out and Laying Up 


333 


A mooring chain is generally used for this pur¬ 
pose, starting with a clove hitch round one of the 
ends of the after bearer, followed by a single turn 
round the forward one. The same performance is 
carried out along the other side of the cradle and 
the bight is stretched up the beach for the tackle to 
be hooked into. 

Upright pieces must be nailed to the ends of the 
bearers. These must be high enough to reach above 
water at high tide to show the position of the 
cradle, and the cradle itself must be heavily weighted 
by placing sash weights or blocks of ballast upon it. 

Two lengths of track will be sufficient to lay when 
building the cradle. Where the butts come together, 
secure with wooden straps as shown in the sketch. 

To haul 

At high water have the boat ready with an anchor 
lying on deck aft, and another forward or a good 
long line; and if you have a mast or other topweight 
have guy lines ready on either side. 

Hauling out 

Run the boat round to the cradle and head directly 
but slowly on it. When about sixty feet off drop 
the stern anchor, pay out on the line as required and 
check the boat when over the bearers. Now carry 
the bow line or anchor ashore and secure it and you 
will have fore and aft lines wherewith to steady the 


334 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

boat and prevent her from working off the cradle. 
But these will not be sufficient for a large boat with 
much draft nor for a sailboat, and you will have to 
rig guys from either side to keep her from listing 
too much before the tide drops sufficiently for you 
to be able to chock her up. Indeed, with all sail¬ 
boats the guy lines must be kept in use until the boat 
is shored up in the yard. 

Use good solid rope for guy lines and watch care¬ 
fully to keep the boat upright so that neither side 
receives excessive strain, for if the guy line should 



break the boat will capsize, and if this happens the 
planking will very probably be staved in. During 
the last four years I have seen many boats fall over 
from the use of faulty guy lines. The throat and 
peak halyards make good purchases if attached to 
ropes that will reach, and a broom or stick hung 
from the block will prevent turns in the tackle. 

As the tide recedes and the boat settles on the 
cradle, take in the slack of the guy lines, being care- 






Hauling Out and Laying Up 333 

ful to keep the boat upright; and as soon as you are 
able to wade out and sink the logs, take some short, 
chunky pieces and build them up on the cross bearers 
under the body of the boat to chock her up. The 
chocks are held in place by binding them together 
with irons or flat pieces of wood nailed across. 

We are now ready to lead the fall of the tackle 
to the windlass and to remove the bow and stem 
lines from the boat and the sash weight from the 
cradle, for they have served their purpose. By heav¬ 
ing the boat as far as the ends of the tracks which 
are already laid, before the tide leaves her, you will 
get the additional help of just so much buoyancy. 

As the tide falls, go round with a broom and 
bucket and scrub the boat’s bottom. By the time 
you have finished and perhaps had something to eat 
the tide will have fallen sufficiently to place more 
tracks and start the long heave up the beach. Grease 
the tracks well and do not let sand get on them. Tap 
the cradle with the maul occasionally if it does not 
slide readily, and watch carefully, as the joins in the 
tracks are met, that they do not catch the cradle 
and draw apart. The use of flat boards under those 
ends of the tracks that carry the weight will be an 
advantage, but if you have help enough to hold 
them in place as the cradle slips from one to the 
other, you need anticipate no trouble. Attend to 
the guy lines carefully as the boat comes up. 


336 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 


Shoring up 

When the boat is far enough from the water there 
are several ways of shoring up. One is to keep her 
right on the cradle as she stands, removing only the 
unsightly chocks and substituting props, arranged as 
in the sketch; just the same as is done in building a 
launching cradle. 



To shore a. heavy boat on a sandy DoiOt rest the boat on a plank 
beach where the 'winter tides nse unless the ground beneath, 
hi^fh enough to wash away the sand is solid 


Fig. 164 


This. will not do, however, if the bearers and 
tracks are to be used for another boat; then you will 
have more work to do. In this event, place rests 
for the keel; one under the engine and another about 
two-thirds of the distance from there forward where 
it will best take the weight. Build up on these rests 
till they fit tightly under the boat. Cut props as 
shown in the diagram, setting them below on flat 







Hauling Out and Laying Up 


337 


boards and fitting wedges just tightly enough above 
to steady the boat. When that is done undermine 
the cradle by digging out from under it so that it 
may be removed. 

The method of shoring up just referred to does 
well in a yard or on firm ground, but on a sandy 
beach where the winter tides rise high and the winds 
blow hard it will not do at all. The water will wash 
the sand from under the props and the wind will 
do the rest. To meet these conditions you will have 
to build a much more substantial structure, which 
cannot better be explained than in picture form. 

Shoring up on sand below high water mark 

Bear in mind when shoring up that in winter when 
the snow melts and the ice and the floods go down 
to the sea, and the wind sets in hard from the ocean, 
you will have tides far higher than anything experi¬ 
enced in summer. 

Dig a trench four feet deep and place a log about 
ten feet long in the bottom of it as a foundation for 
the shores and keel rest. See that this foundation 
is very solid and that it rests on a flat surface, for 
the effect of a bending plank here would be as in 
Fig. 164, when the weight of the boat sinks the 
middle. Build up with heavy logs to the ground line 
and then place the keel rest. On either end of the 
lowest and longest crossbeam set the heel of the 


338 Practical Sailing and* Motor-Boating 

shores, nailing a small piece of wood to keep them 
in place, and fit wedges above as for the previous 
method. Fore and aft between the forward and 
after rests—which should both be built similarly save 
that the forward ones generally do not have to be 
entrenched quite so deeply in the sand—long planks 
may be nailed to prevent the after rests buckling out 
in case of a fierce storm clearing the sand away from 
behind them. The props must be reinforced as 
shown. 

COVERS 

And now that the craft is hauled out we must pre¬ 
pare her for the long, wild winter. A cover should 
be procured to protect her hull. It will prevent snow 
and ice settling on deck and water freezing between 
the seams and in the self-bailing pipes, which by the 
way, it is quite likely to burst. A tarpaulin may be 
stretched right over the boat, catching the edges of 
deckwork, and it will still remain tight. Canvas, on 
the other hand, must maintain a good straight angle 
as from a boom or framework set over the boat, else 
wherever the lower side is touched in a heavy rain 
it will drip. A properly fitted canvas cover, how¬ 
ever, is splendid protection, but must be made by a 
regular sailmaker, unless you have a sailboat with 
an old set of sails, in which case they may be spread 
over a boom and will serve the purpose. 

A less common covering for small yachts is tar 


Hauling Out and Laying Up 


339 


paper tacked over a light wooden framework. It 
represents more work, but is cheaper to build and 
provides a covering that, when you are through with 
it, may be thrown away, the frames being tied in a 
bundle and stored with the strong-back till next 
season. 

The framework for this or any other cover con¬ 
sists of one long piece of wood called the strong¬ 
back, rigged on supports or lashed between masts 
and having pieces fitted between it and the gunwale 
about two and a half feet apart, a little less than the 
width of the tar paper, though further apart than 
that will suffice for a canvas or tarpaulin cover. 
Over the framework tack strips of wood fore and aft 
to reinforce a paper cover, and a piece of tarpaulin 
or canvas attached to a wooden roller will serve to 
hang over the entrance, so that it may be lashed 
down when you are away or rolled up when aboard. 
Tins and tacks for holding down the tar paper may 
be obtained at the hardware store at the same time 
as the paper. 

LAYING UP 

Coil all ropes away and attach a label to each. 

The masts may advantageously be given a coat of 
mixture composed of tallow, linseed oil and yellow 
ochre heated till the tallow melts. This will pre¬ 
serve the spar and leave the varnish in good shape 


340 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

for scraping in the spring. It must be put on before 
the cover is built. 

Open the cocks to engine, toilet or any other water 
piping that might possibly freeze. 

Remove the propeller and if the engine is exposed 
take off all brass fittings and coat it with grease. 
Pour about a pint of oil into the cylinder and plug 
any apertures with lumps of oily cotton waste. 

Leave the ports open to admit of ventilation, and 
if you are not altogether too much of a social man, 
spare time once in a few weeks to come down, light 
the fire, have a meal on shipboard, breathe the salt 
air and incidentally give the cabin a good drying 
out. We always keep most of the cruising gear 
aboard over winter, and have regular little stags and 
sundry beefsteak dinners which serve to keep the 
crowd together, so that when the time comes for 
putting the boat into commission it has become a joy 
anticipated, and the cabin is turned into a dreary 
wreck and a workshop only during the really busy 
renovating period; which with the help of a full 
crew need be very short. 

BEACHING 

At some time during the summer you may have to 
beach the boat to fix a leaking stuffing box, change 
the propeller, or scrub the barnacles off the bottom 
and apply a fresh coat of anti-fouling composition. 




Going into commission. Burning off old paint. This picture 
also shows the framework that should be rigged beneath 
a canvas cover 


Shored up on a sandy beach. Showing how the winter 
tides have washed the sand away from under the boat 











Hauling Out and Laying Up 


34i 


Beaching is a very simple matter in small motor 
craft. There is little to do but float the boat gently 
on to the beach when the tide is high and ebbing. 
Of course the nearer it is to high water the longer 
it will be before you can get off again. 

Craft of twenty-five feet and over require a little 
more ceremony. In preparation: place a handy¬ 
sized anchor aft, attached to the end of about a hun¬ 
dred feet of rope. In a sailboat, unshackle the 
throat and peak halyards from the gaff, in readiness 
to bend on the side guys and forward, while in any 
type of craft have the bow anchor clear for carrying 
ashore. 

Soon after high water run the boat inshore, and 
when within a hundred feet of the beach drop the 
stern anchor and proceed, checking her with the 
stern line thus afforded until she grounds gently. 
Then carry the bow anchor ashore and plant it in 
the beach ahead. Haul taut on the forward line and 
steady the boat’s stern with the after one. 

Now for the guys to keep the craft upright. Take 
the throat and peak halyards, one on either side, and 
attach a good line to each of the lower blocks, long 
enough to reach to a place ashore where the ends 
may be made fast. Take in the slack of the tackles 
attached to these guy lines as the boat settles, being 
careful to keep her perfectly upright. In many 
motor-boats where guy lines are impracticable, 


342 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

blocking placed under the bilge will serve this pur¬ 
pose even better. 

As the tide recedes, get into a bathing suit and 
work round the boat with a scrubbing brush. This 
will provide ample water to work with and leave 
plenty of time for drying before the fresh composi¬ 
tion is applied. 

In repainting, we consider the straight copper 
paint of a dark red color the most serviceable and 
cheapest. All anti-fouling compositions must be 
kept well and constantly stirred in the paint pot. 
They set very quickly after being applied, but do not 
have to be hard when the boat goes into the water. 

Floating off 

When the tide rises high enough to steady the 
boat and before she actually begins to rise with it, 
slack up on the guy lines and take them in. Next, 
carry the bow anchor aboard and set a strain on the 
stern line. As soon as the boat lifts on the tide she 
will commence working off, and as she starts to do 
so, haul away on the stern line, lift the stern anchor, 
start the engine and run out to your mooring. 

Small motor-boats may be beached easily without 
guys of any sort, and sometimes if you have a good 
crew it is possible to slip a roller or two underneath 
the boat and thus be independent of the tide. 

And now that it is all over and done without acci- 


Hauling Out and Laying Up 


343 

dent—in the book—we will just rake over a few 
don’ts that do cause trouble in practice. 

Don’t run the engine, if you can help it, in shallow 
water over a sandy bottom. The grains work into 
the stuffing box and ruin the shaft. 

Don’t beach a boat on a rising tide. Choose the 
first of the ebb and you will avoid much unnecessary 
pounding. 

Don’t take the ground at the highest point of a 
high tide. The next tide may not run so high. 

Don’t beach a boat where a swell is running or 
she will pound heavily. 



Chapter XXI 


YACHT CLUBS 

T HE clubbing together of a hundred or more 
men, all boating enthusiasts, not only pro¬ 
vides a social atmosphere of kindred spirit 
and good fellowship, but minimizes the expense of 
maintaining headquarters wherefrom to start one’s 
trips and whereat to have many a merry jollifica¬ 
tion. For a club is composed not merely of its 
yachting members, but also of its dancing members, 
its singing members, and so on, to say nothing of its 
ever famous “rocking-chair fleet.” 

Perhaps you would like to know just what are the 
advantages to be gained by joining a yacht club? 
They follow: 

To begin with, it provides a place whereat to meet 
friends, a float from which to embark and disem¬ 
bark, or at which the dinghey may be tied and left 
in safety. 

Most yacht clubs have the accommodations of 
social clubs in the way of a dancing-floor, piano, 
billiard and pool tables, dressing-rooms, etc., though 
344 


Yacht Clubs 


345 

in this respect they vary more or less among them¬ 
selves and you should be careful before applying for 
membership to any club to find out just what its 
proclivities are. ‘Some are no doubt stronger on 
yachting, priding themselves upon a membership of 
yachtsmen, to the exemption of almost everything 
else; while others are more or less social gatherings 
with energetic entertainment and house committees 
who make the entire season one merry whirl of 
music, dances and concerts. Some clubs exclude 
women folk on all but special days; whereas others 
are domestic affairs providing bathhouses and 
lockers for the members’ w r ives and their friends. 
Again, you will find certain clubs where a member 
would lose caste were he to turn his hand to such a 
thing as the heavy work on his boat, and conversely 
you will find other clubs where the fellows do every¬ 
thing from “hauling out” to “putting in” themselves. 
In fact, to them, tinkering around their little ship is 
half the fun of the game; and there is much of good, 
healthy exercise to be had from it, too. 

The club steward—barring those larger clubs 
which employ a large staff of waiters, porters, etc.— 
is the only man in a yacht club who draws a salary 
for his services, although some of the members work 
equally as hard in promoting its welfare. I am 
referring particularly to the house and entertain¬ 
ment committees upon whose efforts so much of a 


346 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

club’s success depends, and yet to whom, so little 
credit is given except hi the way of complaint when 
results do not come fully up to expectations. 

But to return to the paid man, the club steward. 
His duties are to pump out such boats as require it, 
to keep a watchful eye on the fleet and the pos¬ 
sessions of members in general, to attend to any 
emergency odd jobs that crop up, and to keep the 
clubhouse and grounds in shape, etc. I have men¬ 
tioned these several duties of the steward because 
they cover a point that many men, when just join¬ 
ing a yacht club, do not appear to recognize. For 
instance, although it is a steward’s duty to lash a 
wayward boom that may have worked adrift, to 
drop another anchor if a boat appears to drag, or 
to do anything in his power to save a boat from 
harm should it be necessary, it is not part of his 
duty to the club to paint decks or scrub the bottom 
of any one particular member’s craft. Such work 
as this is entirely in the hands of the boat-owner, 
to be done at his own expense. Of course, should 
he pay the club steward so much for his work, and 
this is the recognized custom of the club, all well 
and good. But he should certainly not bear any 
malice toward the steward, at the same time worry¬ 
ing the house with seven reasons why the steward 
should be discharged merely because he did not re¬ 
paint, haul out, scrub, or do some other such insig- 


Yacht Clubs 


347 

nificant little job on his boat during the week. Now, 
if this gentleman would but stop and think a little 
he would see immediately that it would take a 
mighty crew of men in addition to the lone steward 
if each member expected the same amount of atten¬ 
tion, and certainly no one should expect more than 
his share. However, a club membership does en¬ 
title you to such odd jobs as having your boat 
pumped out and a watch kept over her when you are 
away, while should anything go wrong in a blow 
you at least have the satisfaction of knowing that 
there is someone around to attend to things or let 
you know if you are wanted. 

Nor do the benefits gained by joining one club 
end there. Yacht clubs have amongst themselves a 
system of exchanging invitations which extend to 
each other’s members a hearty welcome and the full 
privileges and use of their clubhouse and grounds. 
Thus, though your cruise may carry you hundreds 
of miles from home, you may drop anchor where 
every effort will be made to attend to your comfort. 
It is not usually essential in order to visit an¬ 
other yacht club that you be on their exchange list, 
for one yachtsman is always glad to meet another 
who may have come voyaging from distant ports. 
It is, however, expected that you fly the flag of some 
yacht club at your masthead or wear the insignia 
in your cap. It is also part of the racing rules of 


348 Practical Sailing and Motor-Boating 

some yacht clubs that a boat must belong to a recog¬ 
nized yacht club in order to enter. 

When joining a yacht club, visit the grounds and 
rooms of those clubs around the water front that 
appeal to you. Note the types of craft that belong 
to the club and find out if they have to be hauled 
out at the end of the season in a yard elsewhere at 
additional expense. See if the members work on 
their own boats or spend their time at the billiard 
and pool tables, in the card-room or at the bar; 
whether they are a live social club during the winter 
or whether the club drops practically out of exist¬ 
ence during those months. Find out whether the 
dues are really the main expenses or whether they 
are merely an item, you being expected to spend two 
or three times as much again in entertainment 
tickets, at the bar, and in having the boat hauled 
out and stored elsewhere over winter. This is a 
thing that is not only very expensive but one which 
separates you entirely from the fellowship of the 
club over quite a good portion of the yachting year. 

Having decided which club most suits your in¬ 
clinations you may suggest this fact gently but not 
too anxiously to one of the members or, as is usually 
the case, to a personal friend who is already a 
member. This gentleman will no doubt inform you, 
especially if the club in question should be very pop¬ 
ular, that he is of the opinion that there are no 


Yacht Clubs 


349 


vacancies at the present moment. Or perhaps, by 
one of those unaccountable coincidences, there may 
be just one. In fact, now that he thinks of it, there 
is a vacancy, and with great goodness of heart he 
promises to do all in his power with your case. 

The result is that you are given an application 
blank whereon you are required to state your name, 
place of business and yacht. As it is a part of every 
member's duty to bring new members to the club 
you will have very little trouble in finding sponsors 
to sign the required “Proposed and Seconded by.” 
This application must then be submitted to the secre¬ 
tary, accompanied by the initiation fee. The former 
is then passed upon by the House Committee and 
voted on at a meeting of the club, whereat, provid¬ 
ing no one rises to a point of order showing just 
cause or impediment to the club’s welfare in your 
admission, the honorable treasurer will gladly add 
your initiation fee to the club funds and the 
secretary put your name on the roll of its worthy 
members. 






GLOSSARY OF NAUTICAL 
TERMS 


Amber line. —A three-yarn line similar to spun-yarn, but of 
better quality. When purchasing three-yarn line at a 
yacht chandler’s it is best to ask for three-yarn spun- 
yarn, and when a two-yarn or lighter line is wanted, 
ask for either marlin or two-yarn spun-yarn. 

Avast. —Stop. 

Back draft. —A draft blowing in the opposite direction to 
the main body of wind, caused by the latter striking a 
sail-house, or other obstruction, and rebounding. 

Beam. —Width from side to side. 

Belay. —Make fast; tie up. 

Below. —To go below comes from going below deck. It 
may mean going down into a vessel’s hold or down 
into the cabin. 

Bilge. —The bilge might be called that part of the boat’s 
bottom furthest away from the keel. (See p. 16.) The 
water that settles between the limbers in the bottom 
of a boat is called bilge-water, because, I suppose, in 
the big ships it is caused by sweat forming on the 
ship’s sides and running down from the bilge. 

Block. —Pulley. 

Brightwork. —Varnished woodwork. 

By the wind.—Sailing as close into the wind as possible. 
It is indicated by a slight lift at the luff of the main¬ 
sail. 


351 


352 


Glossary of Nautical Terms 


Cable.—A heavy rope or chain used for mooring. 

Camber.—The thwartship curve of a vessel’s deck. See 

p. 16. 

Cant.—To lean over. 

Carlines.—Thwartship beams beneath the cabin roof. See 

p. 16. 

Close-hauled.—Sailing as close to the wind as possible; 
“by the wind.” 

Cranky.—Excessively tender. Used in reference to a boat 
that is not steady enough in the water. 

Cringle.—A metal ring let into the edge of a sail. 

Dead-eye.—A circular piece of hardwood having usually 
three holes in it. A lanyard is rove through the holes 
of two dead-eyes, and the purchase thus formed 
tautens the rigging. 

Deadrise.—The thwartship rise of a boat’s bottom from 
keel to bilge. See p. 16. 

Deadwoods.—The solid, heavy wood that fills in between 
the keel and the boat’s hull. See p. 16. 

Displacement.—The quantity of water that the vessel dis¬ 
places. It equals the weight of the vessel and her 
cargo and all aboard. 

Earing.—A short line spliced into the cringle of a sail and 
used for lashing it to the boom, such as a head earing, 
reef earing, etc. 

Fid.—A large spike made of hardwood. It is used to 
open up the strands of rope for splicing. 

Flare.—The inward curve of a boat’s sides as shown on 

p. 16. 

Fore and aft Sail.—The term “fore and afters” is used 
aboard square-rigged vessels and is general to stay¬ 
sails, jibs and the spanker; indeed, any sail that is not 
a square sail. 

Freeboard.—See p. 16. 


Glossary of Nautical Terms 


353 


Gantline.—A spare rope carried aboard a boat for general 
use. A hundred feet is a good length, and one inch a 
workable diameter. 

Garboard Strakes.—The run of planking adjoining the keel 
on either side. See p. 16. 

Give.—In a rope it represents elasticity. 

Gross Tonnage.—The total measured capacity, including 
cargo, passengers, officers' and crew’s quarters. 

Heel.—To lean over. Used generally in reference to a 
sailboat that heels over from the wind. 

Hold.—That part of a vessel which holds the cargo. 

House-line.—A two-yarn line similar to spun-yarn, but of 
better quality. 

Keel.—See p. 16. 

Keelson.—See p. 16. 

Knot.—One mile and an eighth. Eight knots equal nine 
statute miles. 

Lay aloft.—Go aloft. 

Lay of a rope.—The manner in which the strands are 
twisted together. 

Lee—Side away from the wind. 

Leeward.—See p. 177. 

Left-hand Engine.—Runs in direction shown in Fig. 34. It 
will throw the boat’s head around to port. 

List.—To lean over. Used generally in reference to a 
boat that does not sit square on the water. 

Marlin.—A two-yarn line similar to spun-yarn, but of a 
better quality. 

Marlin spike.—A pointed iron or steel spike used for 
opening the strands of wire for splicing, etc. 

Maul.—A heavy hammer. 


Glossary of Nautical Terms 


354 

Net Tonnage-—The measured cargo-carrying capacity. 


Overall.—Length. See p. 16. 

Overhaul.—To overhaul a rope through a block is simply 
to haul it through. To overhaul a tackle is to haul 
the parts through the blocks so that the tackle hangs 
slack. The main sheet, for instance, when let go to 
spill the wind out of the sail, should be overhauled so 
as to let the boom swing perfectly free. To overhaul 
gear is to go over it and make general repairs. 

Pay out.—Give out. Used in connection with mooring 
lines, cables, etc. 

Port helm.—Everything goes to starboard. This comes 
from the days of the tiller, when by porting the 
helm the rudder went over to starboard, and likewise 
the boat’s bow. 

Port side.—See p. 177. The color representative of the 
port side—red—may be remembered from port wine. 
Knowing this it is easy to remember green for star¬ 
board. 

Pry.- -A lever. 

Right-hand Engine.—Runs in direction shown in Fig. 34. 
It will throw the boat’s head around to starboard. 

Roach.—The curve on the edge of a sail. See Fig. 121. 

Rocker keel.—A rounded keel over which the boat’s hull 
rocks fore and aft. The boat shown on p. 31 has a 
rocker keel. 


Seizing.—A lacing wrapped around two parts of rope to 
bind them together. 

Sheer.—The fore and aft curve of a vessel’s deck. See 

p. 16. 


Glossary of Nautical Terms 355 

Slack up.—Release; let go; provide slack. Is used in con¬ 
nection with lines that are tight. 

Slip line.—A slip line is formed by passing the end of a 
line around or through the object to be made fast to 
and bringing it back aboard again, where it is made 
fast. It is valuable inasmuch as this end may be 
slipped when you wish to get away and you do not 
have to have someone ashore or aboard the other 
boat to let go. 

Spun-yam.—A form of coarse brown tarred line used for 
general sailorizing purposes. You may get it in either 
two- or three-yarn. The two-yarn is most used aboard 
small boats, being lighter in body than the other. 

Square sail.—The term “square sail” is used aboard square- 
rigged vessels, such as full-rigged ships, and applies to 
those sails which are bent to the yards and set athwart- 
ships. 

Starboard helm.—Everything goes to starboard. See Port 
Helm . 

Starboard side.—Opposite to port, which see. 

Steady the Helm.—“Steady” has more than one meaning, 
which makes it not a little confusing to many novices, 
and leaves it open to question even amongst many of 
the older hands. Should you have a course to steer 
and be told to steady the vessel on it, that would mean 
exactly what was said. Should the pilot be aboard to 
tell you to put the helm up or down so that the vessel 
was swinging when he shouted “Steady,” that would 
mean steady her as she was heading when he shouted, 
and would naturally mean changing the helm at once 
to check the vessel. In going around, or tacking the 
ship, the skipper shouts “Steady your helm!” when it 
has been down long enough. It is a signal then to 
put the helm amidships, but is followed very shortly 
by “All right; steer by the wind.” 


356 Glossary of Nautical Terms 

Stern post.—A post in the stern of the boat from which, 
in sailing craft, the rudder swings. In many motor- 
boats the deadwoods have been cut away or the form 
of construction so changed to accommodate the pro¬ 
peller that the stern post has been dispensed with. 
The rudder is then supported by an iron skeg extending 
from the keel. The stern post, as marked on p. 16, is 
the nearest that many boats come now to having one. 

Strake.—Plank. See p. 16. 

Stringer.—A fore and aft timber used to give strength to 
the hull. See p. 16. 

Strop, for tackle.—Is a circular piece of rope. In use, it 
should be wrapped around the part to be hauled on 
and the hauling tackle hooked through the two bights. 

Tender.—(Adj.) “A tender boat” is one that leans over 
easily to the side. As a noun it is another name for 
dinghey. 

Thimble.—A rounded metal collar that fits inside an eye- 
splice and takes up on the chafe. 

Top maul.—See Maul. 

Top sides.—The boat’s sides between water-line and deck. 

To windward—The side towards the wind. See p. 177. 

Tumble home.—The inward curve of a boat’s sides after 
they leave the water, as shown on p. 16. 

Weather.—The side towards the wind. 

W. L.—Length. See p. 16. 


INDEX 










































































































INDEX 


Afternoon boat, 23 
Ammeter, 161 
Anchors, Breaking out, 118 
Mushroom, 310 
Sea, 115 

Anchor lights, 179 
Anchoring, 116 
Aneroid, 201 
Auxiliaries, 15 

Backfiring, 164 
Bad weather, 114 
Barges, 109, 180 
Barometer, 201 
Bars, 111 

Batteries, 145, 158, 160 
Care of, 174 

Connections, 134, 142, 160 
Weak, 161 
Beaching, 340 
Beacons, 86-88 
Bearings, 81, 177 
Distance by, 82 
Kinds of, 81 
How to take, 81 
Speed by, 82 
Bed for motor, 125 
Bell signals for engineer, 
112 


Bend in waterway, 94 
Bending sail, 234 
Boat selection, 1 
Bottom, Preparing and 
painting, 302 
Boxing the compass, 73 
Bridge deck cruiser, 30 
Brightwork, To clean, 296 
Buoys, 84 
Colors of, 85 
How numbered, 85 
Kinds of, 86-88 
Meaning of, 85 
Systems, 85 
Buoys, Mooring, 313 
Burning off, 296 

Cabin accommodation, 247 
Canals, 191 

Carbon in cylinder, 163 
Carburetor, 60, 63 
Adjustment, 154 
Troubles, 171 
Caulking, 299 
Channels, 85 
Charts, 83 

Clouds, Formation of, 196 
Motion of, 200 
Weather foretold by, 192 


359 





360 


Index 


Club hauling, 243 
Cockpit, Self-bailing, 255 
Combined spark plug and 
coil, 135, 147 
Compass, 72 
Boxing, 73 
Card erratic, 79 
Errors of, 74 
How to correct, 76 
Use in a fog, 107 
Condenser, 139-141 
Construction, 11, 16 
Cooking recipes, 268 
Cost, 17, 18-29 
Course, allowances to be 
made, 83 
How to lay, 83 
To check up, by bearings, 
81 

To correct, 74, 92 
Covers for boats, 338 
Crank chamber, flooded 
with gas, 166 
Flooded with water, 156 
Load with oil, 339 
Crossing ahead, 186 
Cruise, A, 279 
Cruisers, 26-38 
Currents, Cause of, 92 
To allow for, 107 
To tell direction of, 91 
Cylinder oil, 169 
Cylinder, Overheated, 165 
To clean, 162 

Day boat, 25 
Dead reckoning, 92 


Decks, 301 

Derrick, How to rig, 224 
Deviation of the compass, 
75 

Dingheys, 322 

Distribution, Jump spark, 
142 

Distance by sound, 109 
By bearings, 82 
Don’ts, Engine, 172 
Beaching, 342 
Dories, 20 

Drags, How to make and 
use, 115 

Drift to be allowed for, 91, 
107 

Engine. See Motor. 
Engine-room signals, 112 
Entering harbor, 84 
Unbuoyed harbor, 89 
Equipment, 190, 260 
Exhaust piping, 174 
Explosions in crank case, 
164 

In exhaust, 164, 171 
Premature, 165 
Extension trunk cabin 
cruiser, 29 

Fishing boat, 18 
Fitting out, 292 
Floating off, 332 
Flooding of motor, 166 
Fog, Crossing a current in, 
107 

Echoes, 109 




Index 


361 


International signals, 182 
Navigating through, 107 
Position by sounding in, 
109 

Precaution in signaling 
during, 109 

Signals for vessels, 182 
Signals, How to distin¬ 
guish, 188 

Special signals for Great 
Lakes, 183 
Speed during, 183 
Use of lead, 109 
Foul water, 110 
Four-cycle engine, 62, 64 

Galley stoves, 265 
Galley equipment, 278 
Gasoline, amount required, 
169 

Causes of water in, 154 
Feed pipes, 129 
Separator, 129 
Tanks, 128, 294 
Glass cabin cruiser, 26 
Going into commission, 292 

Handling in bad weather, 
114 

Hauling out, 329 
High-tension ignition, 65 
Wiring, 65 
Horse-power, 64 
Hot cylinder, 165 

Ignition, 64 
Installing, 122, 155 


Jibing, 242 

Jump spark, coil, 135 
Engine, 65 
Ignition, 65, 133 
Plug, 153 

Plug and coil, 135, 147 
Timer, 143-161 

Kedging, 118 
Knots and bends, 210 
Knots into miles. See 
“Knot” in Glossary 

Landing, Making a, 113 
On a lee shore, 120 
Launching, 305 
Law of storms, 204 
Laying up, 339 
Lead line, 100 
Leaky hull, 296 
Stuffing box, 45, 304 
Leaving a landing, 112 
Mooring, 112 
Lee shore, To clear, 243 
To land, 120 
Leeway, 96, 100 
Left-hand engine, 58 
Lights, How to distinguish 
shore, 104 

International law, 176 
Limbers, Clean out, 296 
Low-tension ignition, 144 

Magneto, 143 
Make and break coil, 144 
Engine, 65 
Ignition, 65 
Maneuvering, 244 



362 


Index 


Man overboard, 120 
Mast, Dry rot under heel, 
47 

Unshipping, 224 
Measuring sails, 231 
Miles into knots. See 
“Knot” in Glossary 
Mixture, 154 
Moorings, 309 
Placing, 316 
Raising, 318 
Sinking, 319 
Motor, Backfiring, 164 
Bed for, 125 
Carbon deposit, 162 
Compression, 151 
Crank chamber flooded, 
166 

Cylinder oil, 164 
Cylinder, To clean, 164 
Don’ts, 172 

Explosion in crank cham¬ 
ber, 164 

Explosion in exhaust, 
164-171 

Explosions, Premature, 
165 

Flooding of, 166 
Hard to turn over, 162, 
163 

Heavy duty, 66 
High-speed, 67 
Hot cylinder, 165 
Knocking, 164 
Medium speed, 66 
Misfiring, 158, 166, 167 
Names of parts, 152 


No gasoline, 154 
No spark, 153, 158 
Not enough gasoline, 164 
Oil and grease cups, 150 
Oil feed, 169 
Overhauling, 294 
Overheated, 165 
Overstiff vibrator, 161 
Poor spark, 159 
Pounding, 164, 165 
Power, 64 
Priming, 150 
Pump connections, 132 
Pump disabled, 165, 292 
Regulating, 171 
Running without spark, 
165 

Slowing down, 158 
Slowing down and stop¬ 
ping, 158 

Slowing down and start¬ 
ing up again, 158 
Sounds of, 157 
Speed, 67 

Stops suddenly, 158 
Taking apart, 294 
Tight bearing, 163 
Timing, 161 
To start, 150, 172 
To start in cold weather, 
171 

Water in cylinder, 155 
Water in gasoline, 154, 
168 

Nautical astronomy, 195 
Nautical terms, 177 



Index 


Navigation, 71 
Navigable canals, 191 
Night running, 102 
Nuts loosen with vibration, 
167 

Oil, use in bad weather, 
115 

Packing stuffing box, 304 
Painting, 295, 298 
Piston rings, Carbonized, 
163 

To remove, 163 
Pitting, 139 
Pointers, Tide, 92 
Weather, 195 
Poor spark, 159 
Power, 64 
Pre-ignition, 164 
Priming, 150, 162 
Propellers, 68, 305 

Raised deck cruiser, 27, 247, 
250-254 

Right-hand engine, 58 
Rules to prevent collision, 
International, 176 
Runabout, 21 
Rusty piston rings, 162 

Sailing, Principles of, 226 
Up to a mooring, 244 
Sails, Balancing of, 229 
Bending, 234 
Measuring of, 231 
Setting, 237 
Shortening, 239 


363 

To find the center of 
effort of, 233 

Salt-water supply, How to 
install, 132 
Piping, 305 
Sea anchors, 115 
Second-hand boat, 39 
Selection of a boat, 1 
Selection of engine, 57 
Shoal water, 110 
Short circuit, 153 
Sloop, Rig, 11 
Auxiliary, 31, 249 
Spark coils, 135, 144 
Spark plugs, 153 
Spars, 295 
Speed, 5 
Test, 170 
Splicing, 214 
Squalls, 240 
Stability, 48 
Starting, 150, 172 
Sterns, 8 
Stock models, 12 
Stuffing box, 304 
Styles of boats v 11, 14-18 

Tacking, 241 

Tackles and purchases, 222 
Temperature and gasoline, 
168 

Thermometer, 201 
Three-port two-cycle en¬ 
gine, 60 
Tides, 89 
Tide pointers, 92 
Tight bearings, 163 



364 


Index 


Timing the spark, 161 
Two-cycle engine, 58 
Two-port two-cycle engine, 
59 

Valves, 132 
Vaporizer, 171 
Variation of compass, 75 
Varnishing, 297 
Vibration, 125, 131 
Vibration loosens connec¬ 
tions, 167 


Vibrator, 140, 161 
Visibility of lights, 181 

Water line, To cut in, 303 
Weather forecasting, 195 
Whipping, To make, 213 
Wind, 204, 208 
Wiring, 134 

Yacht clubs, 344 
Yawl rig, 11, 33 
Auxiliary, 33-38, 254-259 


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